Listening Leaders Archived Edition

November 4, 2009

LISTENING LEADERS NOODLE NATURE vs. NURTURE

Listening Leaders® who, during the exciting Fall pursuit of Championships, watch the special exploits of world-class athletes might wonder how outstanding players develop their remarkable skills. Is it a case of nature or nurture, or both? Or consider the amazing talents of every world-class musician, or renowned artist, or best selling author. Are their skills based on the gift of nature or nurture, or both? Moreover, what is the role of nature or nurture in the development of the very special abilities of societies best doctors, lawyers, teachers, parents, and politicians?

Multiply the question into every corner of the world, and eventually one might ask, “Why are some individuals, by all measures, outstanding listeners? What is the source of their critically important individual listening attitudes and skills? On the other hand, why are some individuals such lousy listeners? To what degree is it nature, nurture, or both? Like all special abilities, to what extent is the gift of listening inborn and/or learned? Moreover, to what extent can it be enhanced?

In a thought provoking article, “Nature vs. Nurture Revisited”, Kevin Davies points out, “The most shocking surprise that emerged from the full sequence of the human genome is that we are the proud owners of a paltry 30,000 genes, barely twice the number of a fruit fly.” Thus, for some, the argument of nature versus nurture tilts decidedly towards nurture.

Still, others suggest it is too early to dismiss the importance of nature and the role of environmental heredity in understanding human behavior. The jury remains out as researchers continue to explore additional pieces of the human genome. Looking ahead, Eric Lander, a key player on the Public Genome Project, suggests, “This is just halftime for genetics.” In addition, however, J. Craig Venter believes that although “humans are not hardwired” there will be new ways to increasingly fiddle with our genetic wiring in such a manner that in the complex balance achieved by nature and nurture, nature will get a little boost.

Yet it remains important to remember the wisdom of Henrik Ibsen, who wrote, “It is not only what we have inherited from our fathers that exists again in us, but all sorts of old dead ideas and …old dead beliefs and things of that kind…. and we can never be rid of them.” So for present day Listening Leaders®, a simple set of questions deserves our careful contemplation.

First, what is our “inherited nature” of listening attitudes and skills? Who’s positive and negative listening genes do we carry, and how do they impact our listening? Which genes serve us, and which ones do not? More importantly, what can and will we do to profit from our positive genetic forces that impact our daily listening?

Second, what “forces of nurture” have shaped both our positive and negative listening attitudes and skills? To whom are we indebted for the positive experiences of such nurture? Moreover, whose listening are we nurturing on a regular basis? Equally important is the simple question, “How are we identifying and combating any negative forces of nurturing that impedes our desired listening?

Third, what is the alignment and/or gap between our “listening nature” and our “listening nurture”? What is the impact of both and what will we do to engage the alignment and eliminate the gap?

Listeners have a lot to learn, as there is much to consider. For unlike the lovely butterfly, Douglas Alexander Spalding wrote about in 1873: “When, as by a miracle, the lovely butterfly bursts from the chrysalis full winged and perfect…it has, for the most part, nothing to learn, because its little life flows from its organization like a melody from a music box.”,

The source of our learning lies in our individual history of nature and nurture.

LISTENING LEADER® KNOWLEDGE NUGGET: Listening Leaders explore their inborn nature and forces of nurture.

Malcolm Gladwell is a gifted writer who enjoys the blessing of curiosity, diligent digging for interesting stories and details, and the ability to write stories and books worth reading. As a staff writer for the New Yorker magazine and the author of three best selling books, The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference; Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking; Outliers: The Story of Success; and, What the Dog Saw, Gladwell constantly illustrates his power as a skilled listener. Without knowing the source of his inherited nature or the impact of his nurtured world, Malcolm Gladwell is worth reading, for his characters are alive and he makes you think.

For example, one essay in What the Dog Saw explores the lives of precocious youthful geniuses and late bloomers who find great success in their later years. Tracing the success of a number of young and older artists, film directors and writers, Gladwell explains the differences of “conceptual versus experimental” creativity. The end result of success is the same, but the process and timing is dramatically different.

As a result, it is interesting to noodle the impact of the forces of nature and nurture of such youthful conceptual creative geniuses like Orson Welles, Herman Melville, Mozart, T. S. Eliot, and Picasso. On the other end are the experimental late bloomers like, Alfred Hitchcock, Mark Twain, and Cézanne. Each, in their own way, was magnificent in their artistic and creative production. It is also predictable that each in their own way listened in a manner that was impacted by their inherited nature and nurtured experiences.

Thus, one might conclude that the force of nature and nurture impacts every human being in a manner that leads to a specific and measureable conclusion. The individual challenge for all Listening Leaders® is to examine, understand, and follow our complex maps.

LISTENING LEADER TIP OF THE WEEK: Noodle your nature and nurture maps

GOLDEN CIRCLE LISTENING LEADERS QUOTES OF THE WEEK:

Genes and family may determine the foundation of the house, but time and place determine its form ~ Jerome Kagan
Professors are inclined to attribute the intelligence of their children to nature, and the intelligence of their students to nurture ~ Roger Masters
With a good heredity, nature deals you a fine hand at cards; and with a good environment, you learn to play the hand well ~ Walter C. Alvarez
Few people are capable of expressing with equanimity opinions which differ from the prejudices of their social environment ~ Albert Einstein
The only difference between a human being and a stone rolling down a hill is that the human being thinks he is in control of his own destiny ~ Spinoza
The phrase ‘nature and nurture’ is a convenient jingle of words, for it separates under two distinct heads the innumerable elements of which personality is composed ~ Francis Galton

A LISTENING LEADER GIGGLE:

Consider the actual exchanges between a few professional pilots and airport control towers and imagine the inherited nature and nurture of both parties.

Tower: Delta 351, you have traffic at 10 o’clock, 6 miles!”

Delta 351: Give us another hint! We have digital watches!”

Tower: TWA 2341, for noise abatement turn right 45 degrees.” TWA 2341: “Center, we are at 35,000 feet. How much noise can we make up here?”

Tower: “Sir, have you ever heard the noise a 747 makes when it hits a 727?”

A DC-10 landed hot and had an exceedingly long roll out to the end of the runway.

San Jose tower: “American 751, make a hard right turn if you are able. If not able, take the Guadeloupe exit off Highway 101, make a right at the light and return to the airport.”

American 751: No response.

Tower: “United 329 heavy, your traffic is a Fokker, one o’clock, three miles, Eastbound.”

United 329: “Control, I’ve always wanted to say this. I’ve got the little Fokker in sight.”

AND WE WONDER HOW THEY CAN OVER SHOOT A MAJOR AIRPORT BY 150 MILES!

LISTENING LEADERS KUDOS

Congratulations and Kudos to the numerous geniuses who have paved the way of The Human Genome Project. An international scientific research project charged with a primary goal to determine the sequence of chemical base pairs, which make up DNA and to identify and map the approximately 20,000–25,000 human genes. Along with a parallel project by the Celera Corporation the mapping of the human genome has led to significant new insights that are serving wonderful advancements in understanding genetic mapping and the workings of the human body. Now it is time to unravel the complex and comprehensive nature of human listening.

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WE ARE LISTENING and invite your action

Together, we can change the listening attitudes, skills, and knowledge of leaders throughout the world. We appreciate and invite your assistance in expanding our listening leader’s connections. Eight simple steps in advancing this important movement include:

Reflect on your imbedded nature and nurtured history.

Forward this newsletter to your children, grand children, friends and colleagues. More important, invite them to Subscribe to the “complimentary and weekly” newsletter by going to www.listeningleaders.com

Send us your listening leader insights, examples and stories.

Start a Listening Leaders Reading and Discussion Group. Invite your Librarian to purchase our Award winning LISTENING LEADER book.

As meeting, conference, and convention attendees spend the bulk of their time listening, please let others know of our availability to Keynote Conventions and customize Listening Leader Workshops.

Invite us to identify specific needs for listening development of leaders in your organizations.

Ask about our proven listening leader training programs and our customized in-house train-the-trainer strategies and our Certification program.

We can help, we are committed, and we are listening.

Listen, Lead On & Make Today Count! – Manny & Rick

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LISTENING LEADERS: THE TEN GOLDEN RULES
TO LISTEN, LEAD & SUCCEED

By Dr. Lyman K. Steil
& Dr. Richard K. Bommelje

Publisher: Beaver’s Pond Press
(ISBN 1-59298-073-2)

A pioneering book that directly connects listening with leadership.Based on more than 50 collective years of work with listening leaders throughout the world, Dr. Steil and Dr. Bommelje have created 10 practical, proven, and priceless rules to enhance everyone's listening and leadership success. Although outstanding leaders are outstanding listeners, most leaders have neglected the development of their listening attitudes, skills and knowledge.

“This is the most significant book ever written on listening and leadership and will profit leaders at all levels in all types of organizations and enterprises.” Dr. Ralph Nichols, Father of the Field of Listening

ORDER YOUR COPY at www.ListeningLeaders.com or www.amazon.com

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Dr. Lyman K. (Manny) Steil
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