“True listening is rare. And yet, we believe it is among the most needed life and leadership skills of our time.” Jerry Colonna

The thing I miss the most about Lucy is her listening skills. In time, I believe she understood what I meant no matter what my words were. Our connection was incredible. I miss telling her what I was thinking, what I was going to do, telling her that I love her as I was leaving. I miss kissing her goodbye when I could not take her with me. I miss her innate skills of wanting to make everyone around her happy. Her greatest skill was figuring out what made others happy, and then doing her best to make that happen. Treats did not motivate her. Being with happy people motivated her.

We live in a culture of telling. Listening is a hard skill to master, especially in our culture. I recently read Jerry Colonna’s book, Reboot. It preaches how most people just need to be heard, and how nobody really listens. His consulting business is thriving by just listening to executives who just need a safe place to air their personal thoughts. Try listening more than talking, asking questions rather than making assumptions. I have seen it work.