Presence – ElPropósito4 min de lectura

A telling sign of leadership

When did someone last truly listen to you? We live in a world where noise, distractions and the urge to speak up keep pulling us away from one of the most essential and underrated skills: listening. Deep, genuine listening involves more than our ears. It takes our full presence and, above all, a calm, receptive state of mind. I deeply admire people who can give a conversation their complete attention and take a real interest in what others say. To me, that capacity is one of the clearest signs of good leadership. A leader who listens earns trust and creates an environment where knowledge flows and gets shared. Listening is an active way to learn and grow, to take in other people’s wisdom firsthand.

The mind, with its constant stream of thoughts, opinions and judgments, can be the biggest obstacle to real listening. When we’re caught up in mental noise, every word we hear runs through a filter of interpretation that often distorts the original message. The key to listening deeply is to quiet that noise and bring the mind to a calm, open state. Only when we’re at peace can we stop projecting our own ideas and biases onto the person speaking and let the message come through in all its clarity and complexity.

As Jordan Peterson writes in 12 Rules for Life, "Assume that the person you are listening to might know something you don’t." That rule invites a radical shift in how we approach a conversation. When we listen on the assumption that the other person knows something we don’t, listening becomes an act of humility, of learning and, ultimately, of respect for their experience. If we listen from a position of superiority, or from the comfort of our own experience, we limit our ability to learn, to see the world through other eyes and to broaden our perspective.

Listening with a calm mind brings real benefits to us and to the person speaking. Someone who listens with full attention shows respect and empathy, qualities essential to any relationship, professional or personal. People who feel truly heard sense that their experience and knowledge are valued, and that deepens connection and mutual understanding.

People who know how to listen also have an immense "sea of knowledge" at their fingertips, practically free of charge. How often have we missed valuable ideas simply because we couldn’t stay quiet and open up to what someone else had to offer? Active listening and attentive silence invite us to discover thoughts, experiences and perspectives that would otherwise stay out of reach.

The art of listening in silence brings something very valuable with it: learning to ask questions and taking a sincere interest in the other person. When we truly listen, with real curiosity, we’re more likely to ask the questions that draw out information and, with it, the other person’s humanity and wisdom.

Our ability to listen largely reflects our own personal growth. The more we work toward a calm state of mind, the less we feel the need to show what we know or to keep interrupting. That calm lets us see how much we can learn from others, especially when we quiet our own inner voice and let them share their experience and knowledge.

Philosophers, for example, rarely set out to impose answers. Their tool is the question. Questions open doors to learning and to ideas that could lead us to new truths or, at least, new ways of seeing the world. We can bring that openness to listening: listen with curiosity, with the humility of someone who knows there’s always more to learn, and set our certainties aside.

At its core, listening is an act of leadership. Its power lies in creating a space where everyone gets to speak, to be understood and, why not, to change the outlook of those who listen. In a world that often prizes talking over listening, great leaders are the ones who have learned to stay quiet, ask and listen with a calm, open mind.

When we listen deeply, we take in information and, beyond that, wisdom. We understand the other person’s words, and also their motivations, fears and dreams. Real listening requires a calm mind, and in that calm we find the chance to learn and to connect more deeply with the world and the people around us.

How much do you truly listen to others without your own thoughts getting in the way? How much room do you give their words before you judge them?

Warm regards and all the best,

Rodrigo Baccaro

P.S. "…be the librarian who says ‘shhh’ to the rowdy kids, or tells the jerk on his phone to please take it outside. Because the mind is an important and sacred place. Keep it clean and clear." Ryan Holiday, Stillness Is the Key

Author: Rodrigo Baccaro

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