“It Can Wait”

“How did your meeting with the boss go?”

“Really great. I had a lot to cover in only 20 minutes, but that was enough.”

“Where did you meet with her?”

“In her office. She had a plane to catch so there wasn’t time for her to come here.”

“What happened?”

“Well, two minutes in, her assistant interrupted with ‘You have an important phone call from a customer.’ Her response was, ‘This is important too. I’ll call them back on the way to the airport.’ Then her email pinged. She turned it off. Then her broker called. She didn’t take that call either.”

“So you got to give the pitch without being interrupted?”

“Yes.”

“How did that make you feel?”

“Important. Appreciated.”

“Did you get the answer you wanted?”

“No. But I got the attention I wanted, so I’m okay with the answer.”

How are you doing? Cell phone ignored when someone is talking to you? Newspaper down or TV silenced when your spouse or child is trying to get your attention? (I need to do a lot better.)

M. Scott Peck: “You cannot truly listen to anyone and do anything else at the same time.”
James C Hunter in The Servant: “…listening is probably our greatest opportunity to give attention to others on a daily basis and convey how much we value them.”

People—at work or at home—don’t always expect to get their way. They do expect to get a hearing.

Great leaders are—first of all—great listeners.

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