Fairly often, I enter a conversation thinking I know better than another person. Fairly often, I leave the same conversation learning something new.
Experience counts for a lot, and at this point in life, I have a lot of experience. But experience is not everything. I have been party to many board meetings where we had heated debates about something someone said that seems to defy logic, things we agreed on, or things we have learned over the years. It’s easy to dismiss that person or idea (or both) quickly. But those conversations provide us with the unique opportunity to learn, change, and expand our horizons. We only evolve and learn when we challenge what we know.
Does your ego get in the way of learning?
If there is one thing I have learned over the years, it’s to not let one’s ego do the listening. Every idea has merit or some value to offer. When your ego listens, it dismisses the idea and the person behind it. When you actively listen, you seek to understand what that person’s goal is. What fresh perspective are they offering? What do they see that I don’t?
You might not implement what they suggested, but you might have learned to approach the problem differently, to reach for higher goals, or that some processes can be simplified.
How to actively listen?
The rule is simple: Ask questions before providing answers. Try to truly understand their way of thinking and the logic behind what they offer, even if you don’t agree with them.
