Everyone you will ever meet knows something you don’t.
-Bill Nye

One of the best training experiences I ever had was taking a course from Eugene Emerson Jennings at Michigan State University. In addition to being a professor, Jennings was counsel to the stars. He was a personal coach to many of the executives who lead the massive auto industry in the Detroit of the 70s.

Jennings regarded business as a complicated maze. He watched to see who navigated it well. He discerned they had skills which helped them. He called those with the skills “Maze Bright”.

The quote from Bill Nye the Science Guy reminded me of the “Maze Bright” skills. Jennings said “Maze Bright” people focused on gathering information from others. The logic is this: you know what you know. The opportunity is to learn what others know to develop your information base further.

So, the skills are simple:

1. Listen rather than talk. You can’t learn if you are talking.

2. Ask questions versus give answers. Use your talking time to probe. Get others to share their insight and knowledge.

3. Seek to understand the meaning of what is being said as compared to what words are literally said. A discerning, careful listener “reads between the lines”. He discerns by inflection and tone what points are emphasized. He seeks to understand more about the situation. Understanding meaning helps you to ask better questions. It gives you opportunity to listen more.

Those strategies are simple to understand, but difficult to implement. We get affirmed when we speak up. We earn the praise of our teachers when we raise our hands and give the answers.

It takes a rare discipline and insight to change gears and shift to the “maze bright” set of skills. But, it works!