“let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance” — Proverbs 1:5 NIV

When I was in seminary I had a Greek professor who frequently retorted back to students “You are showing your ignorance.” No one wanted to be the target of his zingers but we all knew the bigger lesson the professor was trying to highlight. Which was, before we talk we need to be certain of being correct and that meant we needed to be good at listening. Three years of Greek, five days a week, taught me more about developing character than reading the language on ancient scrolls.

Success in any line of work is going to depend on how good of a listener we are. We often think if a person is a good talker they’ll be successful but talking without first listening is no better than a crazy barking yard dog. When someone is trying to communicate with you, don’t think about how you’ll respond until you first focus on what they are wanting to say and wait until they are done so you don’t talk over them.

This week, practice being a good listener by paying attention to others and understanding what they want you know.