Nine Moments to Stay Silent as a Leader

There have been several times over my career I had to learn to be silent. Situations at home, at work or on the road required me—a teacher at heart—to not share an insight but to remain quiet. I recognized silence would achieve more than words. Are you like me? Ernest Hemingway said it best: “It takes two years to learn to speak. It takes sixty years to learn to remain silent.” Our family recently decided to see a counselor to deepen our relationships. We all felt we could use a communication tune-up now that our kids are adults and have moved away.