I was in conversation with a wiser friend who was talking about a senior executive who was going up the ranks in her company very quickly. This person had a great reputation and I asked her what she thought of him.
“He’s smart and all those things..” she paused “but you know, the greatest thing about him is that he doesn’t just give you his point of view. He respects you. He listens.”
I found that fascinating. Listening was seen as the ultimate sign of showing respect to the other person. It makes sense – listening intently is the best way of saying – “I respect your intellect. I’d like to understand what you think.”
“He listens.” Do I? Enough? Do you?
A Learning a Day 