“When people talk, listen completely. Most people never listen.” Ernest Hemingway
Anyone who knows me knows that I can tell a story or speak extemporaneously on a slew of subjects. But people who really know me have consistently seen something more important: my fascination with learning from others.
Whether it is in the airport bar, or getting a shoeshine, or talking with a six-year-old Cub Scout I give my full and undivided attention to people, ask them questions to get more than a surface level comprehension, and really do care about what they are experiencing, thinking, and feeling. It gives me an understanding that is more visceral than reading a report or crunching some numbers. I want to look through their eyes and get their perspective so that I can expand myself, both from an empathetic but also an empirical knowledge point of view.
Listen and learn.