Clay LinkousCo-founder, Linkous Solutions · International Speaker, Executive Coach, and Facilitator / Champion of Physicians, Leadership, the Human Experience, SDOH, Vulnerable Populations, & Neurodiversity.

October 15, 2025

15 Oct 2025 · 2 min

Watch on YouTube

1:46

In this brief motivational video, the speaker cites renowned negotiator Chris Voss to challenge the common belief that listening is passive. He emphasizes that true listening is an active, intentional practice that involves removing distractions, focusing fully on the speaker, empathizing, and seeking to understand both spoken words and unspoken cues. The speaker explains how genuine listening builds trust, deepens relationships, and uncovers solutions that might otherwise be missed, ultimately enhancing leadership and personal connections. The video concludes with a direct call to the audience to reflect on how they will improve their listening today and invites them to share their commitments.

Chapters

You know, Chris Voss, a renowned negotiator, author, and speaker, once said something incredibly insightful. He said that contrary to popular opinion, listening is not a passive activity. It's actually the most active thing that we can do. So think about that for a minute. You know, I know I often see listening myself as just waiting for my turn to speak or passively just absorbing information. But am I really listening? Because that's a superpower in today's world. You know, people They want to be heard. People, better yet, they want to be understood. And true listening is about actively engaging. It's about seeking to understand and truly hearing what others are communicating, both with their words, but honestly, sometimes even more importantly, their unspoken cues. So if I'm really listening, it requires me to remove distractions, focus on the person, have empathy toward them, and honestly, a genuine desire to connect with them. You see, when I I truly listen, I find that I build trust, I foster deeper relationships, unlock solutions that I might have never found otherwise. And it's a skill that transforms how I'm able to lead and how I connect with everyone around me. So what about you? What are you going to do today to be a better listener? Would love to— for you to share your thoughts.