Just a couple random thoughts are in order today….

Peter Drucker says, “The most important thing in communication is to hear what isn’t being said.”

I have learned, as a leader that the real story people have to offer isn’t the one they offer. And I have learned that my inability to hear complaints that are spoken have cost me dearly.

I am a blunt out-in-the-open communicator. I am not likely to hold in anything that I think is important. This doesn’t always work to my advantage because I assume other people are the same. But they usually aren’t.

I am trying to develop ROP (read the other person) skills a bit better. It’s still an important skill even when you are approaching a time in your life where other’s opinions of you are less interesting than they used to be.

I have been working through a psychographic book by David Wolfe titled “Ageless Marketing.” They found that life satisfaction was based upon five common traits after they quizzed 60,000 people. Take a gander:

• A clear sense of direction in their life.
• A sense of having achieved important goals.
• An overall satisfaction in the way major life crises has been handled.
• A general pleasure with personal growth and development
• Rare feelings of feeling cheated or disappointed by life.

These are well worth some meditation and thought.