Why do we dismiss input that could help us? Sometimes it's to protect our ego against a painful truth. When we have an entrenched opinion, we adopt a dismissive approach towards the thinking of others. And not only do we hurt them, we hurt ourselves. 'Better a poor and wise youth than an old and foolish king who will be admonished no more' (Ecclesiastes 4:13 NKJV). Yes, you have areas of expertise. But you also have areas where you need advice. The day you decide to stop listening is the day you decide to stop growing.
Thomas Carlyle said, 'Every man is my superior in that I may learn from him.' Even if what you learn is negative or a lesson in what not to do, it's still valuable information that can protect and enrich you. Dr John Maxwell says: 'What is the one thing - more than any other - that will determine the growth of an organisation? The growth of the people in the organisation. And what determines the people's growth? The growth of the leader! As long as people are following you, they will be able to go only as far as you go. If you're not growing, they won't be growing - either that, or they will go somewhere else where they can grow.'
The story is told of an old farmer who entered his mule in the Kentucky Derby. 'Your mule has no chance of winning against all those thoroughbreds,' a race official told him. 'I know,' he replied, 'but I thought the associations would do him some good.' To grow, you need the right associations and the right input.
為什麼我們會罔顧那些可能對我們有幫助的意見呢？有的時候，是為了保護我們的小我而推開一個痛苦的事實。當我們緊持深邃的己意時，我們會對他人的想法採取一個罔顧的態度。然而這不僅傷害了他們，還傷害了我們自己。「貧窮而有智慧的少年人勝過年老不肯納諫的愚昧王。」（傳道書四:13 中文和合本）。是的，你有你專業的領域，但你也有需要聽取意見的地方。哪天你決定不再聆聽，哪天你就決定了不再成長。
托馬斯・卡萊爾（Thomas Carlyle）說：「每個人都是我的學長，因為我可以從他身上學習。」即使你學到的東西是負面的或者是反面教材也好，它仍然是可以保護你和使你豐富的寶貴信息。約翰麥克斯韋博士（Dr. John Maxwell）說：「一個組織的成長最重要是取決於什麼呢？是組織中各人的成長。那各人的成長又取決於什麼呢？是領袖的成長！人們要是跟隨你，你能走多遠他們就只能走多遠。如果你不會成長，他們就不會成長——要不就持續這樣，要不他們就會去其他可以成長的地方。」
有一個故事，講述了一位老農夫在肯塔基德比（Kentucky Derby）賽馬大會中用他的騾子參賽。「你的騾子沒有機會贏得所有那些純種馬，」一位比賽官員告訴他。「我知道，」他回答說，「但我認為讓牠聯誼一下，想必會對牠有幫助。」要成長，你需要正確的人脈和正確的建議。
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