The best future leaders are the best current listeners. Nobody follows someone who can’t be taught.

Listening is not politeness; it is how you find out what is actually happening. Someone who cannot take in new information will keep running a plan built from last year’s facts, and everyone around them can see it before they can. The willingness to be corrected is what keeps a person accurate over time.

In your next conversation, aim to leave with one thing you did not know beforehand. Ask a second question instead of responding to the first answer. Notice how often you were preparing a reply while someone was still talking.