Listening is the most underrated skill.
The most important thing.
The most talked about.

Yet…

Ask people, “How many good listeners do you meet?”
The answer? 0 to 1 out of 10.

The problem isn’t that we don’t value listening.
The problem is—we’ve never really listened to what listening should look like.

In my early days, I had my own versions of listening.

Version 1: Let Me Finish
I thought listening was just not interrupting.
“Bhai, let me finish first. Then you say.”
And when they finished… I was ready with my reply.
Result? I heard the words, missed the meaning.

Version 2: Sherlock Mode
Then I believed listening was reading between the lines.
“Hmmm… you said X, but I think you actually meant Y.”
Felt like a detective.
Problem? I was solving mysteries that didn’t exist.

Version 3: Coaching Wisdom
Then came a coaching session that taught me—
“Listening is responding.”
So, I nodded. A lot.
“Hmm… Okay… Go on…”
And sometimes, I nodded so much that they asked—
“Tu sun raha hai kya? Ya sirf haan mein haan mil raha hai?”

Many versions later…
I asked a range of people who they rate as great listeners.
The answer was always the same:

“The ones who don’t judge. And yet, give you a piece of truth in return.”

Real listening isn’t about nodding, pausing, or reading between the lines.
It’s about observing—without judging.

No jumping to solutions.
No assumptions.
No finishing sentences in your head.

Since then, this has changed everything for me.
With clients.
With team members.
With kids.
Even with Man Ki Baat. 😄

Listening isn’t a technique.
It’s a space you create.

Pic credit: https://lnkd.in/dPrnM5Gg