How to Find and Keep the Best People 2

At this point, I never knew if he agreed with me or not, because he always did this first. He didn’t reject anything out of hand – he tried it on, walked around in it, and looked it over completely before he decided.

If he agreed with what I said, he would say so, and smile. Then he would say what I had said again, with something of his own added -- a slightly different slant, a story to illustrate. We would both smile at each other and sit there for a minute, smiling. To be understood and appreciated is the best incentive, the best reward.

If he disagreed with what I said, he would say so and explain, touching on the parts that he thought were right and saying at what point he thought it was wrong and why. He would take me with him every step of the way from where I was to where he was. So we still understood each other, even if we didn’t agree. Sometimes this was even better, because we always took some action and found out who was closer to the truth. He was always just as pleased when I was right as he was when he was right.