You Can Learn Something From Everyone If You Just Listen

With every interaction, every experience, there will always be something you can learn. Regardless of social stature or level in business each person will have something new to offer, a new perspective if you would. While it may not come right out of the encyclopedia, there is always a nugget of information that can change your perspective or at least give you a new way of looking at things.

Have you ever caught yourself in mid conversation trying to answer or focusing on how to respond? Truly listening to what someone has to say opens a whole new way of communicating, especially if you use the two C's, confirm and clarify.

Using the two C's shows the person who you are in conversation with that you are actively listening and interested in what they have to say. You may be saying, not everyone has something to say that interests you, but how would you know if you are not listening?

Your not going to find common ground with everyone you meet, but that doesn't mean they don't have something to offer. Some of the best advice can come from the most unlikely source. You would be surprised how many homeless people have degrees or were, at one time, the head of a major company.

Listening to someone's story or insight on any particular subject, even if it is out of your wheelhouse, provides an alternative look. No not every conversation you have will cause an epiphany, but it might just ring some bells. It is the suttle conversations that tend to carry the most information, plus, you get to learn a lot about the person you are speaking with.

Being able to understand where someone is coming from reveals how their mind works, who they are, and their intentions. This is vital for the workspace at it gives the leader an opportunity to help each individual grow in a way they can easily understand.

A leaders ability to listen and communicate effectively is the single most important thing you can do. It opens up your emotional intelligence, puts you in the shoes of others, and creates an out of the box perspective to face challenges head on.