Natural Born Listener

Image by Markus Winkler from Pixabay

I remember a time when I was with some colleagues from work attending a spiritual workshop. I found it interesting to note the perception that people have when they work together. They only see a small part of your life, and vice versa. Many of them expressed how proud they were that I’ve come out of my shell. While I don’t have a shell, I understand their meaning.

You see, I’m mostly quiet. I'm a natural-born listener, especially when surrounded by women with very strong personalities who are not afraid to voice their opinions. I share mine when I notice something that doesn’t fit, but for the most part, I listen and collaborate with others, taking their ideas and shaping them. I can see how people might think that makes me shy, but that’s not me. I enjoy ideas, thinking, and seeing how I can merge different points of view into one cohesive perspective, delivering it without imposing my opinion.

It’s not that I lack an opinion; instead, I enjoy the challenge of untangling others’ viewpoints. Often, I see both sides of an argument as equally valid, and it’s rewarding to write or say something that encourages people to step a little closer to one another, expanding their perspectives and stepping into someone else’s shoes. I often help people consider options they’ve never thought of before.

I’ve come to realize that this is one of my strengths. Is it a form of leadership? I’m not quite sure what to call it. It feels like a kind of servant leadership—perhaps leading from behind. It’s all about finding balance. Many view a leader as someone who charges ahead to confront a challenge, but that’s not my approach. I prefer to lead with ideas rather than actions and with plans rather than emotions.

The big question remains: where do I go from here? Maybe I’ll continue to write in this blog to help figure it out. Perhaps by writing for myself, I can guide myself toward where I want to go. Let’s see what happens.