Leaders Bridle the Tongue

Proverbs 10:19 (NIV) When words are many, sin is not absent; but he who holds his tongue is wise.

Practical insight. Give humans a chance to chatter, without care and forethought, invariably we will exaggerate, hyperbolize, and stretch the truth or just plain, lie.

Why? In our self-absorption, we want to “look good.”

Leaders, who are committed to focusing on others, find it much easier to practice the discipline of listening (you can’t listen and talk at the same time!). In sales training, we often say, “You were created with two ears and one tongue: use them in that proportion.”

The Biblical principle, stated here and other places, is that we will be held accountable for our “idle words.” Listening carefully is more powerful than saying a lot.

Are you listening?

Copyright ©2009 by P. Griffith Lindell