The connective tissue of a career
A thought experiment on the thing that actually holds it all together.
Something I often observe with the executives I work with: They are smart. They are prepared. They know how to make a case. But their strength in argument making and asserting a strong point of view — the thing that got them to the position they now occupy — can sometimes become a strength overplayed.
And it makes sense. A career can feel like a series of battles — arguments to win, ground to hold, positions to defend. And the humble act of truly listening in that context can feel dangerous, almost as if it were a sign of retreat or weakness.
Here’s the thing: We can look at a career as a series of battles. But I think it might be more useful to see it as a series of relationships. The web you build — the people who trust you, who want to work with you, who will go to the mat for you — that is the connective tissue of a good, long career. Not necessarily all the battles fought and won.
Listening is a key part of how we build that web of connection: people can feel the quality of our attention when we truly listen. They sense whether we’re present or just waiting for our turn. And when they feel genuinely heard — not managed but actually heard — trust forms.
