• It’s like how a sahabi came to Rasoolullah in the battle of Badr and asked, is this a revelation or strategy of war? And when Rasoolullah informed him it’s a strategy, he advised him of a better strategy. And Rasoolullah readily accepted the idea of destroying all the wells so that Muslims maintain control of the water during the battle.

• Listen first: Listen before you speak, understand before you diagnose. Listen not just with your ears, but with your heart. Don’t assume that what matters most you, matters most to others as well. Don’t assume what matters most to others. Don’t presume that you have all the answers.

• Most people don’t listen to understand, but rather with intent to reply. People go through different spectrums of listening from ignoring, pretending, selectively listening, to attentively listening; but the most effective listening is empathic listening – listening with intent to understand – emotionally and intellectually.

• Actively seek other’s perspective and viewpoints that is different than your own. Explore their ideas, find worth in their ideas, and give them credit. Don’t just try to prove your own point. People like to surround themselves with like-minded people, but how does that bring about any growth; no one is pushing one another outside their creative boundaries.

• Remember, when someone is trying to communicate with you, don’t just listen to their words, but listen to their eyes and hearts. Only 10% of communication is done by words, 30% are other sounds, and 60% is body language.

• Humility frees from your constricted views on problems to a broader and wider view of the problems and tasks at hand; it gives you the ability to openly and empathically listen to others and their experiences and points of views. So if you are having a tough time listening to other people, perhaps it the ego that needs to be checked.