Stepping on someone’s sentence isn’t a big deal, is it? I do it all the time.
I excitedly respond to what someone’s saying… even before they finish their sentence. Or I have a perfect story or something funny to share, but if I wait until they’re done talking, I might forget.
Clearly it’s just my enthusiasm and passion (sometimes my impatience and irritation); so what’s the problem with a little sentence-stepping?
It contaminates trust.
When we intentionally listen to someone, they trust us a little more.
When we sentence-step, they trust us a little less.
As leaders, trust is everything – people only follow leaders they trust. So trust must be our constant commitment, not a checkbox on a to-do list.
The trust people have in us is strengthened or splintered in each interaction. Sentence-stepping doesn’t strengthen trust; it splinters it. Instead of demonstrating our passion and enthusiasm, it actually demonstrates our selfishness and disrespect.
When every conversation either contributes to or contaminates trust, we need to step on our tongue instead of their sentence.