Why Entrepreneurs Should Practice “Shoshin”

Spending more time listening won’t just create space to learn new things; it will also help build healthier relationships.

Active listening is a skill that most of us struggle with — but it can be learned. A good place to start is by looking the speaker in the eye, waiting until they’re actually done talking before you respond, and asking good follow-up questions that show you’re not only paying attention, but genuinely interested in what they’re saying.

Experience is, of course, helpful in many ways, but sometimes it pays to talk to people with some removal from a given issue. 

Harnessing a beginner’s mind won’t just help you solve problems — it will allow you to think more freely and more creatively, and open a new world of possibilities your expert’s mind didn’t know existed.