My 4 year old son, Christopher, proclaimed his “love” for his classmate Madison during dinner tonight. My wife asked Christopher why he loves Madison.
“She respects me,” said Christopher.
“How does she respect you Christopher?”
“She listens to me.”
In the business world we often hear about communication but all too often we forget that listening is part of communication. How many times have we been interpreted by a coworker as we are trying to share our ideas? Worst yet, how often have we interrupted our customers as they talked?
Listening equals respect. This is childhood wisdom that adults should remember and practice.