Listening With Your Eyes - By Jonathan Broekman
Dear valued clients and friends,
I attended a talk the other evening by entrepreneur and author, Miles Kubheka and found myself thinking about parts of it long afterwards. What I appreciated most was not only hearing about his successes but the way he spoke about failure - openly, honestly and almost as though those difficult moments were necessary parts of the journey rather than things to hide from.
One phrase in particular stayed with me: “listening with your eyes.”
At first, I wasn’t entirely sure what to make of it. But the more he unpacked it, the more it made sense. It wasn’t really about listening in the traditional sense at all. It was about observing properly. Paying attention not only to what people say but to pauses, reactions, behaviour and the things that often sit underneath the words.
Noticing Before Reacting
I suppose we live in a time where there’s pressure to react very quickly to almost everything. News travels instantly, markets move quickly, opinions form quickly and decisions often need to be made before situations have fully unfolded. Miles spoke about environments where split-second decisions can affect millions of people, which is difficult to even comprehend properly.
And yet, his point was not about reacting faster. If anything, it was about becoming better at noticing.
That really stayed with me.
Perhaps because I’ve been experiencing something similar in a very different context through my half marathon training. As some of you may remember, I committed to running it after a conversation with Richard Wright earlier this year. A few minor training injuries later, I’m still on track for July - although probably now with a little more humility than when I started.
Learning to Listen Properly
What the injuries have forced me to do, more than anything, is listen properly. Not just push through because the programme says I should. Not ignore fatigue or stiffness or assume that more effort automatically means more progress.
I’ve had to slow down at times, adjust training, recover properly and pay attention to what my body is telling me rather than what my mind initially wants to achieve.
Oddly enough, it feels connected to what Miles was speaking about.
Sometimes we become so focused on movement, progress and outcomes that we stop observing what is actually happening around us - and within us. We rush to respond before we’ve fully taken things in.
The older I get, the more I realise certainty doesn’t come from having all the answers immediately. Sometimes it comes from paying closer attention. From listening more carefully. From noticing the cues before reacting to the noise.
And perhaps that applies to more of life than we realise.
Warm regards,
Jonathan Broekman
Principal, Homes of Distinction
