It is fundamental to any successful relationship-personal, professional, and political. Calvin Coolidge famously said, “No man ever listened himself out of a job.” It is only by listening that we engage, understand, connect, empathize, and develop as human beings. Wars have been fought, fortunes lost, and friendships wrecked for lack of listening. Value is placed on what you project, not what you absorb.Īnd yet, listening is arguably more valuable than speaking. Online and in person, it’s all about defining yourself, shaping the narrative, and staying on message. Instead, we are engaged in a dialogue of the deaf, often talking over one another at cocktail parties, work meetings, and even family dinners groomed as we are to lead the conversation rather than follow it. In modern life, we are encouraged to listen to our hearts, listen to our inner voices, and listen to our guts, but rarely are we encouraged to listen carefully and with intent to other people. When was the last time you listened to someone? Really listened, without thinking about what you wanted to say next, glancing down at your phone, or jumping in to offer your opinion? And when was the last time someone really listened to you? Was so attentive to what you were saying and whose response was so spot-on that you felt truly understood?

Listening books