RULE TO BREAK
“Don’t waste your time on people who aren’t worth it”
I worked with a young man years ago who was notoriously sullen and taciturn. I was new to the job, and everyone told me there was just no point trying to hold a conversation with him – I’d be wasting my time. They seemed to be right. It was well-nigh impossible to get so much as a grunt out of him.
For some reason I took this as a personal challenge. I don’t really know why – certainly not out of any virtuous motive. Anyway, I used to ask him questions and not give up until I had an answer. Then I started asking more open questions, which required fuller answers. After a couple of months, he’d relented to the point where I could hold a good conversation with him.
And you know ...
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