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<br />Life cannot be lived in an impersonal way. In manufacturing, <br />engirteering, finance, and all the other fields, as well as in social life, <br />we deal with men and women who are filled, as we ourselves are, with <br />feelings of pride, the ambition to achieve, and the desire for esteem <br />and affection. <br /> <br /> <br />No person can do their best work or attain success in business <br />without the approval of other men. Facing the human equation and <br />solving it satisfactorily are urgent needs imposed upon business men in <br />all walks of life. The competent leader takes many precautions that <br />lesser men neglect. <br /> <br />To understand people demands first of all that we admit two <br /> <br />truths: <br /> <br />(1) We are all different, and often we are not aware in what <br />respect, to what degree, and why we are different; <br /> <br />(2) We are all acting and reacting in different environment. <br /> <br />When we realize these truths, we are inclined to begin under- <br />standing people by studying them. We will go out of our way to encourage <br />them to talk about themselves and their interests. Only so can the <br />business man learn what makes employees unhappy in their work, what <br />qualifications young men have for advancement, what mistaken ideas are <br />prevalent in his office or business that should be corrected. <br /> <br />No one in authority can ever do too much listening; the best <br />leaders know that men prosper not in proportion as they talk but as they <br />li s ten. <br /> <br />But it is not enough to listen and observe; one must examine <br />and appraise. By looking at the subject from the other person's view- <br />point, you perceive the things that need to be cleared away so as to let <br />him see the good points of your plan or proposal. <br /> <br />Those who go in for mottoes might add this one to their stock: <br />"Every human act can be understood if we know all the pertinent facts. " <br />When we see a person we know acting in a way that is different from <br />our expectations, we may be shocked or confused. But we need not stop <br />there. By showing a sympathetic interest, by demonstrating our desire <br />to understand, and by taking all the appropriate steps toward becoming <br />informed of the cause, we may find what is wrong with the person---or <br />with our own interpretation of his actions. <br /> <br />We must be prepared to meet resistance, if the attitude we seek <br />to change is a deeply-rooted one. We need to offer something more <br /> <br />- 13 - <br />