The Twelve Absolutes of Leadership

CHAPTER 11

LISTEN

We have two ears and one tongue so that we would listen more and talk less.

—Diogenes

Years ago, an employee was called into his boss’s office. The boss wanted the employee to do well, so he gave him some tough, but crucial, feedback. He told the employee that his inability to connect with people meant that one day his rise would come to an end, because in an evenly matched competition, no one would vouch for him. The boss gave the employee some valuable advice: nobody goes through life being able to pick and choose every person he works with. Rather, he said, leadership is finding those people with whom you really don’t want to work or who aren’t delivering as much as you do or as much as you would like them to, and somehow ...