Leave room for the reply.

In a NUS guest-speaker session on 14 October, I asked about Leadership DNA, career and life trade-offs, and whether passion and values change as we move through different stages. I had several connected questions in mind. I wanted to understand how someone makes those choices over time.¶

Looking back, there are two parts to that kind of exchange. I can prepare what I want to ask, but I also need to leave space for an answer that takes the conversation somewhere I had not planned. The question gets us started; listening gives me something new to work with.¶

Four days later, after a group call, I noticed a smaller change. I was still eager to contribute, but I was listening more and waiting for other people to finish before responding. It was a change in the rhythm of a conversation, and I was pleased to be noticing it in myself.¶

I am interested in that combination: keeping the energy to speak while becoming more patient about when to do it. A thought can wait for a moment. Hearing the end of someone else's point may change what I want to say, or give me a more useful question.¶

The negotiation experiences I have kept on this site give me another way to revisit this. In a classroom exercise, our team reflected on how much attention we had given to price. In Bugis, buying two bags became part of the offer. Looking for another person's priorities takes room in the conversation as well as preparation beforehand.¶

This is one of the quieter things I want to remember from studying in Singapore. Alongside the presentations and finished assignments, there are habits I can pay attention to in the next discussion. For now, one is simple: let the other person finish, then see what I actually want to ask.¶