President Theodore Roosevelt became a great leader in part because he took time to listen. He was also known to grow weary of those who didn’t take time to listen.
Once at a fancy dinner he got tired of people returning his greetings with mindless responses. He began greeting people by telling them he had just murdered his grandmother. Most people were so nervous at meeting the President, they didn’t even catch what he said.
Peter Drucker, the father of American management, says 60% of all management problems are the result of faulty communication. No doubt much of that is the result of poor listening.
Take time today to listen to your customers, your spouse, your children, and your co-workers. When you take time to listen, you come away from a situation with a sharper focus, able to accomplish more.
Most of all, make sure you take time to listen to God and get his instructions in the matter. Being a good listener, to God and people, is a way to redeem the time.
Rick Grubbs is best known as the host of “Redeeming the Time,” a one-minute radio program featured on hundreds of radio outlets around the world. He has spoken thousands of times on Biblical time management in all 50 states and 26 other countries. He is the author of the book “Morning Momentum: God’s plan for launching an unstoppable day”. He and his wife Carrie live in Salisbury NC with several of their 12 children.
