More Hesselbein on Leadership

The Art of Listening

The person who had the greatest impact upon my life, my career, and my work was my grandmother. People always expect me to talk about John W. Gardner, Peter Drucker, Warren Bennis, or Jim Collins—all the great thought leaders who have been part of my journey. They all have had a powerful impact upon my life and my work. Yet from my first consciousness of relations with other people my grandmother has been my leadership model. She listened very carefully. With grandchildren six or seven years old, she looked into our eyes and she listened as though it was the most important thing she could be doing at that moment, and she never cut us off. We finished our little story, whatever it was. And we learned to listen through our ...