The great philosopher Homer Simpson says: “Just because I don’t care, doesn’t mean I’m not listening.”
Okay, there you have it. You can always quote some good stuff from Homer. He’s pretty brilliant.
But are you showing that you’re listening to show that you care?
Look, listening is a hard thing to do.
Most of us are waiting our turn to talk instead of actually listening to hear what is being said.
Listening is not just with our ears, but with our hearts because we need to understand why are they saying that? What are their motivations? Gosh, it seems like this person is hurting. What is the concern here? How do we move through this particular piece?
As we’re thinking about listening, think about how you’re being a listener in your life.
How are you listening to your supervisor? Your spouse? Your children? Your colleagues? Your clientele? How are you hearing what’s really underneath the words?
Listening is hard. And listen, nobody’s perfect. I’m sure not. It is something that when we choose to get better at it, we do get better at it.
So don’t take advice from Homer Simpson. Instead, decide to make sure that you are listening and that you care.