leaders listen

 

Proverbs 18:13-17

13 Answering before listening is both stupid and rude. 14 A healthy spirit conquers adversity, but what can you do when the spirit is crushed? 15 Wise men and women are always learning, always listening for fresh insights. 16 A gift gets attention; it buys the attention of eminent people. 17 The first speech in a court case is always convincing - until the cross-examination starts!

 

Some days that's all I do.  I supervise 7 employee and on some days I just listen.  They vent, the explain, the reason, they discuss and I listen.  We all need that someone we can go to who will listen.  The person who will stop typing, stop writing, lay down their pen and turn and look you in the eye.  Don't you feel so much better after you get it all out...after you know you have their undivided attention?  Have you ever been talking to someone and they mention one thing and there goes your mind (we call that a rabbit trail in my Disciple class and we go down many of them!)...you are already plotting your response?  That's just not right...you may miss the most important thing that needs said!!

 

A good friend taught me the phrase "If you aren't careful...you might learn something new every day!".  He was right.  If you stop and listen to someone else you just might learn something!! Yesterday I was with some folks and we were talking about smart phones and they were like, we don't need to know about them...they will be a fad for the next few years and then something else will come along...in the next five years their organization (which is already losing clientele) could lose a lot of customers because of that attitude.  They want to appeal to a younger demographic but don't want to embrace the new technology that goes with that generation.   It is amazing...that's how you get OLD!  That's how you become the walking DEAD! and that's how you become STALE!!

 

All I can think of is proverbs...listen and embrace!! Today your challenge is to listen!!