Quote

Sometimes listening is of greater value than speaking.

Most people believe that their listening skills are where they need to be, even though they aren't. A study at Wright State University surveyed more than 8,000 people from different verticals, and almost all rated themselves as listening as well as or better than their co-workers. We know intuitively that many of them are wrong.

Listening is active. At its most basic level, it's about focus, paying attention.

Listening is the essence of anything.

Most of the successful people I've known are the ones who do more listening than talking.

Listening is not just hearing what someone tells you word for word. You have to listen with a heart. I don't want that to sound touchy-feely; it is not. It is very hard work.

Listening is a positive act: you have to put yourself out to do it.

People, by and large, would rather be talking than listening.

There are many benefits to this process of listening. The first is that good listeners are created as people feel listened to. Listening is a reciprocal process - we become more attentive to others if they have attended to us.

That's probably a problem for some people in this business, they don't like to listen.