Wait, What Did You Say?

There’s a funny story about President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, which is probably apocryphal, but is nonetheless a good illustration of the importance of listening.

The story goes that Roosevelt was meeting people in a seemingly endless receiving line. Wearying of smiling, shaking hands, and making inconsequential small talk, Roosevelt began to murmur, “I murdered my grandmother this morning," assuming that no one was listening.

As people passed by, he repeated the confession while they smiled and replied, “Wonderful,” “Lovely,” “Keep up the good work, Mr. President!” This…