When I was a child, I used to play a lot of Scrabble, so I realised that both “listen” and “silent” have the same letters. As an adult, I understand that to be a good listener we need to first learn how to be silent. Often in conversations, we listen to respond rather than to understand. When we do this, we shut off our brains because we are focused on what we will say next. Instead, I think we should listen to learn and understand. When listening to someone, your next sentence should be a question that shows you are trying to understand. This approach will help you provide better guidance and advice as a mentor and leader.