I was recently reading Kevin Paul Scott’s “Inspired Every Day“, and one little statement he made hit me very hard. He simply said:
“Who is the best listener you know? What is that person’s impact on you and others?”
It hit because this should (in theory) be me, but it’s not. It’s hard to really gauge that kind of skill, particularly when trying to compare yourself to others, but I’m confident that Ali, Brooke and Robert are all better than I am, and likely many others too.
I’ve talked about listening on here quite a few times, such as how to gain empathy through true listening, and while my listening skills have certainly improved over the past few years, they have a long way to go.
It’s important to note that Kevin directly tied the ability to listen into the degree of impact that the listener can make in your life. If you want to create impact, and most all of us do, listening is a key skill to help you get there.
