Success Advice
This Overlooked Skill Drives Real Business Growth
It strengthens relationships, enhances decision-making, and fosters trust.
In every successful leader’s toolkit, one skill stands out above the rest: the ability to listen. While good leaders are known for making confident decisions, great leaders understand that those decisions are only as strong as the information they’re based on. And that information? It comes from truly listening to their teams, peers, and even critics.
The Core of Business Communication
There are four essential pillars of effective communication: speaking, listening, reading, and writing. While all four are important, listening is often the most undervalued, especially among leaders. According to listening expert Dr. Lyman K. Steil of the University of Minnesota, Americans spend more time listening than speaking, reading, or writing. Yet it’s the skill we most often take for granted.
Listening: The Underrated Soft Skill
Listening isn’t just a skill, it’s a soft skill that shows respect, empathy, and openness. When you listen intently, you signal that you value what someone else has to say. It builds connection and trust. Good listeners radiate warmth and maintain eye contact, making others feel heard and appreciated.
In fact, it’s estimated that 80% of a leader’s success can be attributed to listening. Imagine a manager who never hears out their team, or a teacher who dismisses student input. They may hold a position of authority, but they fall short as role models.
True communication is a two-way street. And listening, though more difficult than speaking, is the bridge that connects both ends.
Listening in the Classroom
Educators, in particular, must become active listeners. When students feel safe to share their thoughts, ideas, and questions, the classroom transforms into a dynamic space of knowledge exchange. One student’s insight can open the door for others to express their own perspectives.
When educators embrace these discussions, they empower students and elevate the learning experience for everyone. Listening becomes teaching.
The Link Between Listening and Leadership
Leadership and listening go hand in hand. To lead well, you must listen deeply and intentionally. Only by hearing all sides, team members, stakeholders, and customers, can leaders weigh the pros and cons of a decision and understand the full scope of a situation.
Listening helps reduce the risk of failure and increases the chances of successful outcomes. It shows your team that their input is valued, fosters collaboration, and builds unity. When people feel heard, they are more motivated, more loyal, and more invested in the mission.
Practical Listening Tools and Techniques
Listening may seem passive, but it’s an active and learned skill. Research shows we speak at around 120-180 words per minute, but we can comprehend up to 800 words per minute, leaving plenty of room for distraction. This gap, known as the “word lag,” is where listening often breaks down.
Here are several proven techniques to close that gap and improve your listening:
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Pay attention to content, not delivery. Don’t get distracted by how someone speaks; focus on what they’re saying.
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Look beyond words. Body language and tone often reveal more than spoken words.
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Avoid jumping to conclusions. Don’t let internal chatter (“inner noise”) drown out the speaker.
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Summarize. Briefly restate what’s been said to stay aligned and show you’re engaged.
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Relate to real life. Connect the conversation to your own experiences to improve retention.
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Paraphrase. Repeat the message in your own words to ensure understanding.
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Take notes. It shows commitment, supports recall, and can guide future action.
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Suspend judgment. Keep an open mind, especially when hearing something unfamiliar.
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Respect the speaker. Without respect, there can be no true listening or learning.
Listening Fuels Decision-Making
Making decisions isn’t easy. It involves gathering facts, weighing multiple perspectives, and ultimately taking a leap, sometimes without certainty. But when leaders are empathetic, patient, and open listeners, they access a broader range of insights and viewpoints.
This doesn’t just lead to smarter decisions, it creates stronger teams and healthier cultures.
That’s why great leaders talk less and listen more. They process information thoughtfully, consult widely, and remain humble enough to take ideas from every corner of the organisation, even from the most junior voices. After all, brilliant insights don’t always come from the top.
The Bottom Line
Listening is not a passive act; it’s one of the most powerful tools a leader can develop. It strengthens relationships, enhances decision-making, and fosters trust.
And just like clapping requires two hands, effective communication needs both a speaker and a listener. For leaders, being the listener first might just be the most important decision they ever make.
Change Your Mindset
The One Leadership Habit That Separates the Great From the Forgettable
True leaders don’t just speak their values, they live them, proving that integrity is the foundation of lasting influence.
Leadership isn’t defined by titles, speeches, or charisma; it’s defined by action. The most respected leaders in history didn’t just preach their values; they lived them. (more…)
Success Advice
Inside the TikTok Resume Hack That’s Fooling Recruiters (For Now)
A viral TikTok resume trick promises interviews overnight, yet one wrong move could blacklist you from future jobs.
Your job hunt has stalled out. After weeks of submitting online applications, you haven’t had a nibble. (more…)
Life
9 Harsh Truths Every Young Man Must Face to Succeed in the Modern World
Before chasing success, every young man needs to face these 9 brutal realities shaping masculinity in the modern world.
Many young men today quietly battle depression, loneliness, and a sense of confusion about who they’re meant to be.
Some blame the lack of deep friendships or romantic relationships. Others feel lost in a digital world that often labels traditional masculinity as “toxic.”
But the truth is this: becoming a man in the modern age takes more than just surviving. It takes resilience, direction, and a willingness to grow even when no one’s watching.
Success doesn’t arrive by accident or luck. It’s built on discipline, sacrifice, and consistency.
Here are 9 harsh truths every young man should know if he wants to thrive, not just survive, in the digital age.
1. Never Use Your Illness as an Excuse
As Dr. Jordan B. Peterson often says, successful people don’t complain; they act.
Your illness, hardship, or struggle shouldn’t define your limits; it should define your motivation. Rest when you must, but always get back up and keep building your dreams. Motivation doesn’t appear magically. It comes after you take action.
Here are five key lessons I’ve learned from Dr. Peterson:
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Learn to write clearly; clarity of thought makes you dangerous.
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Read quality literature in your free time.
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Nurture a strong relationship with your family.
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Share your ideas publicly; your voice matters.
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Become a “monster”, powerful, but disciplined enough to control it.
The best leaders and thinkers are grounded. They welcome criticism, adapt quickly, and keep moving forward no matter what.
2. You Can’t Please Everyone And That’s Okay
You don’t need a crowd of people to feel fulfilled. You need a few friends who genuinely accept you for who you are.
If your circle doesn’t bring out your best, it’s okay to walk away. Solitude can be a powerful teacher. It gives you space to understand what you truly want from life. Remember, successful men aren’t people-pleasers; they’re purpose-driven.
3. You Can Control the Process, Not the Outcome
Especially in creative work, writing, business, or content creation, you control effort, not results.
You might publish two articles a day, but you can’t dictate which one will go viral. Focus on mastery, not metrics. Many great writers toiled for years in obscurity before anyone noticed them. Rejection, criticism, and indifference are all part of the path.
The best creators focus on storytelling, not applause.
4. Rejection Is Never Personal
Rejection doesn’t mean you’re unworthy. It simply means your offer, idea, or timing didn’t align.
Every successful person has faced rejection repeatedly. What separates them is persistence and perspective. They see rejection as feedback, not failure. The faster you learn that truth, the faster you’ll grow.
5. Women Value Comfort and Security
Understanding women requires maturity and empathy.
Through books, lectures, and personal growth, I’ve learned that most women desire a man who is grounded, intelligent, confident, emotionally stable, and consistent. Some want humor, others intellect, but nearly all want to feel safe and supported.
Instead of chasing attention, work on self-improvement. Build competence and confidence, and the rest will follow naturally.
6. There’s No Such Thing as Failure, Only Lessons
A powerful lesson from Neuro-Linguistic Programming: failure only exists when you stop trying.
Every mistake brings data. Every setback builds wisdom. The most successful men aren’t fearless. They’ve simply learned to act despite fear.
Be proud of your scars. They’re proof you were brave enough to try.
7. Public Speaking Is an Art Form
Public speaking is one of the most valuable and underrated skills a man can master.
It’s not about perfection; it’s about connection. The best speakers tell stories, inspire confidence, and make people feel seen. They research deeply, speak honestly, and practice relentlessly.
If you can speak well, you can lead, sell, teach, and inspire. Start small, practice at work, in class, or even in front of a mirror, and watch your confidence skyrocket.
8. Teaching Is Leadership in Disguise
Great teachers are not just knowledgeable. They’re brave, compassionate, and disciplined.
Teaching forces you to articulate what you know, and in doing so, you master it at a deeper level. Whether you’re mentoring a peer, leading a team, or sharing insights online, teaching refines your purpose.
Lifelong learners become lifelong leaders.
9. Study Human Nature to Achieve Your Dreams
One of the toughest lessons to accept: most people are self-interested.
That’s not cynicism, it’s human nature. Understanding this helps you navigate relationships, business, and communication more effectively.
Everyone has a darker side, but successful people learn to channel theirs productively into discipline, creativity, and drive.
Psychology isn’t just theory; it’s a toolkit. Learn how people think, act, and decide, and you’ll know how to lead them, influence them, and even understand yourself better.
Final Thoughts
The digital age offers endless opportunities, but only to those who are willing to take responsibility, confront discomfort, and keep improving.
Becoming a man today means embracing the hard truths most avoid.
Because at the end of the day, success isn’t about luck. It’s about who you become when life tests you the most.
Change Your Mindset
Work-Life Balance Isn’t a Myth: Here’s How to Actually Make It Happen
Work stress doesn’t have to win, here’s how to protect your peace and thrive in any workplace.
Starting a new job often comes with excitement and ambition. Yet, beneath that initial enthusiasm, many employees quickly encounter the reality of workplace challenges, especially stress. (more…)
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