listening
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Here’s a crash course in active listening. No certifications. No LinkedIn badge. Just four steps: They say: “I’ve been working here for 12 years. Can’t believe it’s been that long.” 1. Echo it back: “You sound surprised.” 2. Shut the front door. Seriously. Two beats of silence. Let it land. Then pause for two more beats after they’re done talking before moving to step three. One Mississippi. Two Mississippi. 3. Get curious: “What’s kept it feeling fresh?” 4. Offer a related story: Something personal or adjacent, a job you had for a long time, or a friend who loves what they do. “Reminds me of when I was a counselor at a summer camp. Did that for six summers when I was younger. Loved every minute.” That’s it. No need to fix, solve, or one-up. Just reflect, pause, be curious and offer. Try it at work. Try it at dinner. Try it when your friend starts venting about their boss again. Do it enough times, and it stops being a technique. It just becomes how you are. |
Josh Braun
A sculptor doesn’t create the statue. They remove everything that’s not it. They don’t add. They reveal. Prospecting’s the same. It’s your job to add more: More features, more value props. more ROI. The real art? It’s removing. Chipping away and revealing a problem prospects might not know about that can hurt them. Except your tool isn’t a chisel. It’s a question. Because a good question makes people stop and think, “Hmm, I’m not sure.” Good questions make people see something they hadn’t...
There’s a saying in the foster care world that changed how I see people: “All behavior makes sense with enough information.” When a child lashes out, hides, or shuts down, you start to see it’s not defiance.It’s protection. A quiet way of saying, I’ve been hurt before. And adults aren’t so different. The colleague who always needs to be right, maybe control is how they stay safe. The partner who pulls away maybe, love once came with conditions. The boss who’s never satisfied, maybe approval...
My friend Marty has been retired for forty-six years. He lives simply.A small home.A ten-year-old car.Four months of fly fishing every year.He doesn’t chase more.He doesn’t need to.He’s content with mornings by the river. Grateful for what he has. When I joined him once, we ate peanut butter and jelly sandwiches by the water. It tasted better than any five-star meal I’ve ever had. I also know people worth a hundred million dollars who still feel restless. Most are anxious.Always measuring...