Only 14-years-old, Thor Jensen left Denmark in 1878 for Iceland to work as an apprentice. It worked out rather well for young Thor, to say the least. He became wildly successful and wound up being the richest man in Iceland. The revolutionary secret to his success? Unlike the majority of the Danish business owners in Iceland at the time, he learned to speak Icelandic and... wait for it...he asked Icelanders what they actually needed! This may sound simple, but at the time it was unheard of. Within a year, Thor had established his first business - manufacturing much-need blank notebooks.

His inspiring story is a simple reminder of the power of learning our customer's language and asking them what they need. And by learning their language, I don't necessarily mean that literally, I mean learning what words and phrases your customers use to describe their challenges. What language do they use to describe you or your business?   

Asking what your customers want and need is critical. And not just your external customers - if you want to be more successful at work, ask your boss, employees, and your colleagues what they want! Here are a few questions to consider:

1. What could I/we start doing that would help support you?

2. What is just one thing I/we could do better that would make a difference for you?

3. What is one thing you wish I/we could do but can't?

So, on that note, is there anything I could do that would help support you? What do you need that I might be able to help you with? (Just, please don't ask me to learn Icelandic!)