I’m a good listener. I had to be, as a management consultant. Frankly it’s the quality of listening intently to clients that allowed me to make good money, but I did have my limits.
Let me tell you a story. Recently I started renewing an acquaintance I made with a very talented artist over fifty years ago.
I’d invited him to lunch a couple of times. The second time I started rehearsing what we said the first time. It turned into small talk – him telling me about the same stories about his performances he told me the first time.
I listened until I could listen no more. I thought to myself that if this friendship is going to develop, he’s got to stop the small, repetitious talk about himself. So I interrupted and said, “Enough with the small talk, let me tell you what I believe your personality traits are.” I told him. (Remember he’s a very talented, accomplished person.) He liked what I said. I waited for him to show any interest in me. He didn’t, he just started talking about himself again. I stopped him in mid sentence. Hey Donny (fictitious name), why don’t you analyze me now. He started by describing me as I had described him. And then after two sentences he started talking about himself again.
I said to myself, “Rrap this thing up in five minutes. Then I’m out of here.”
As I said, I’m a good listener, but as I also said, I have my limits.
No moral to this story, but it must have some kind of truth wedged in there someplace.