--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Instead of me telling them what they need…" description: "\"Instead of me telling them what they need to work on, I wanted to hear from them what they needed to work on.\" — Anonymous" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b1f/anonymous-1_hear_instead-of-me-telling-them-what-they-nee_311468.jpg" --- # Instead of me telling them what they need to work on, I… ![“Instead of me telling them what they need to work on, I wanted to hear from them what they needed to work on.” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b1f/anonymous-1_hear_instead-of-me-telling-them-what-they-nee_311468.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b1f/anonymous-1_hear_instead-of-me-telling-them-what-they-nee_311468.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b1f/anonymous-1_hear_instead-of-me-telling-them-what-they-nee_311468.jpg) > “Instead of me telling them what they need to work on, I wanted to hear from them what they needed to work on.” [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Effective leadership listens to others' needs before prescribing solutions. **In simple terms:** Listen before directing. Key Takeaway Prioritize listening in leadership. Themes leadership communication empathy feedback Mood thoughtful encouraging Type strategic collaborative When to use this quote - team reviews - performance evaluations - coaching sessions Key Concepts active listening collaborative problem solving growth mindset Questions to Reflect On - How can you balance listening with decisive action? - What questions reveal true needs? A Different Perspective Listening alone may not resolve issues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/) ## Related quotes > [I don't know what drives me. I need to work. I wanted to be in the entertainment field, but I didn't know what.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-vincent/i-don-t-know-what-drives-me-i-need-to-work-i-wanted-to-be-in-the/) [Frank Vincent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-vincent/) > [The mere telling of how a need was met is often like telling of a need, which is asking crookedly instead of straight out.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-carmichael/the-mere-telling-of-how-a-need-was-met-is-often-like-telling-of-a/) [Amy Carmichael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-carmichael/) > [We're not telling you that you need a concealer. We're providing a concealer in case you want it. We're trying to give you the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-weiss/we-re-not-telling-you-that-you-need-a-concealer-we-re-providing-a/) [Emily Weiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-weiss/) > [My P.O. telling me I need a 9 to 5, but I already got a job, and that's stayin alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/young-jeezy/my-p-o-telling-me-i-need-a-9-to-5-but-i-already-got-a-job-and-that-s/) [Young Jeezy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/young-jeezy/) > [“To tell a group of adolescents who already know how to speak and write that that is the purpose of grammar is like telling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muriel-barbery/to-tell-a-group-of-adolescents-who-already-know-how-to-speak-and/) [Muriel Barbery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muriel-barbery/) > [Therapy is about every kids nightmare when people are telling you that you need to get help but all you really want is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-gaskarth/therapy-is-about-every-kids-nightmare-when-people-are-telling-you/) [Alex Gaskarth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-gaskarth/) > [Its hard to except the truth, when the lies were all you wanted to hear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/its-hard-to-except-the-truth-when-the-lies-were-all-you-wanted-to-hear/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [We have all heard what we wanted to hear! Truth that sounds right to our ears!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-have-all-heard-what-we-wanted-to-hear-truth-that-sounds-right-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You told me what I wanted to hear, but it was just a sweet nothing you whispered in every girls ear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-told-me-what-i-wanted-to-hear-but-it-was-just-a-sweet-nothing-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I just wanted to hear you talk. I wanted you to see me, to smile at me. Every single day I promised myself I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-just-wanted-to-hear-you-talk-i-wanted-you-to-see-me-to-smile-at-me/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You told me what I wanted to hear, but it's just another sweet nothing whispered in every girls ear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-told-me-what-i-wanted-to-hear-but-it-s-just-another-sweet-nothing/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [FINE, I GIVE UP! Is that all you wanted to hear me say? Is that what you want? For me to give up on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/fine-i-give-up-is-that-all-you-wanted-to-hear-me-say-is-that-what-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I have worked all my life, wanted to work all my life, needed to work all my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-carpenter/i-have-worked-all-my-life-wanted-to-work-all-my-life-needed-to-work/) [Liz Carpenter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-carpenter/) > [Well, I needed the work - that's the honest answer. I haven't worked for a while, a couple of years. So I thought it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-oldman/well-i-needed-the-work-that-s-the-honest-answer-i-haven-t-worked-for/) [Gary Oldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-oldman/) > [You had to knock the doors of the great directors and producers; of course I needed the work and was desperate for work. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anu-malik/you-had-to-knock-the-doors-of-the-great-directors-and-producers-of/) [Anu Malik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anu-malik/) ## More by Anonymous > [And a tear rolled down her cheek, as she said goodbye; because she's walking away, and she's never looking back](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-a-tear-rolled-down-her-cheek-as-she-said-goodbye-because-she-s/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Scrabble - The game is available in Braille. That’s a nice fact. This makes me feel better about humanity for some reason. I can’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/scrabble-the-game-is-available-in-braille-that-s-a-nice-fact-this/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Everyone needs someone to love, and I choose you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everyone-needs-someone-to-love-and-i-choose-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Put on my J's and dance the whole night away Im naughty by nature like Im hip-hop hooray With my hands in the sky,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/put-on-my-j-s-and-dance-the-whole-night-away-im-naughty-by-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Me.. I have been through a lot, but I still manage to have a smile on my face. Im not worried about the past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/me-i-have-been-through-a-lot-but-i-still-manage-to-have-a-smile-on-my/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Distance is a test of love. many will fail for those who can't withstand it, but for those who can, theres only one answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/distance-is-a-test-of-love-many-will-fail-for-those-who-can-t/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Im sorry I ever tried...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/im-sorry-i-ever-tried/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Being betrayed by the one you love is the worst feeling in the world...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-betrayed-by-the-one-you-love-is-the-worst-feeling-in-the-world/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The only person I've ever purposely caused pain here is myself...By simply sharing, caring too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-only-person-i-ve-ever-purposely-caused-pain-here-is-myself-by/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The truth is, of course, that the curtness of the Ten Commandments is an evidence, not of the gloom and narrowness of a religion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-truth-is-of-course-that-the-curtness-of-the-ten-commandments-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Explore all 162,899 Anonymous quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More Hear quotes > [Television, radio, social media. The 24/7 news cycle plows forward mercilessly on our desks, in our cars and in our pockets. Thousands and thousands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-prince/television-radio-social-media-the-24-7-news-cycle-plows-forward/) [Joseph Prince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-prince/) > [All I hear is the people that appreciate me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-hardy/all-i-hear-is-the-people-that-appreciate-me/) [Greg Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-hardy/) > [“do i look like i can't hear you?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tanenbaum/do-i-look-like-i-can-t-hear-you/) Tanenbaum > [You always hear actors say, 'Theater is my first love,' and it is. It's a time when you really get to do what you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-landecker/you-always-hear-actors-say-theater-is-my-first-love-and-it-is-it-s-a/) [Amy Landecker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-landecker/) > [Inspiration comes from so many sources. Music, other fiction, the non-fiction I read, TV shows, films, news reports, people I know, stories I hear,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trudi-canavan/inspiration-comes-from-so-many-sources-music-other-fiction-the-non/) [Trudi Canavan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trudi-canavan/) > [I hear a lot of 'Top Model' girls say they are dismissed by clients because they recognize them, but it never happened to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fatima-siad/i-hear-a-lot-of-top-model-girls-say-they-are-dismissed-by-clients/) [Fatima Siad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fatima-siad/) > [Hear the truth from whomever says it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maimonides/hear-the-truth-from-whomever-says-it/) [Maimonides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maimonides/) > [Regardless of what I do, whether I write a book or whether I act or whether I host, I'll always do stand-up comedy because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howie-mandel/regardless-of-what-i-do-whether-i-write-a-book-or-whether-i-act-or/) [Howie Mandel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howie-mandel/) > [The first thing I hear when I wake up is the sea, which is so close to our house that its reflections from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-brown/the-first-thing-i-hear-when-i-wake-up-is-the-sea-which-is-so-close-to/) [Craig Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-brown/) > [Most people have to talk so they won't hear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/may-sarton/most-people-have-to-talk-so-they-won-t-hear/) [May Sarton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/may-sarton/) > [“You hear it, too?” Walter asked. “Of course I do,” she snapped. “It’s real!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christa-faust/you-hear-it-too-walter-asked-of-course-i-do-she-snapped-it-s-real/) [Christa Faust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christa-faust/) > [Some people don't like my songs because they think they're too simple or easy or not that thought-out. I feel like the way I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/langhorne-slim/some-people-don-t-like-my-songs-because-they-think-they-re-too-simple/) [Langhorne Slim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/langhorne-slim/) > [I follow a simple formula when I compose. I ask myself, 'What would the audience want to hear?' and 'Why would they buy my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-r-rahman/i-follow-a-simple-formula-when-i-compose-i-ask-myself-what-would-the/) [A. R. Rahman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-r-rahman/) > [You get 15 minutes of fame, I hear, and I've had 14 minutes. The clock's ticking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-howard/you-get-15-minutes-of-fame-i-hear-and-i-ve-had-14-minutes-the-clock-s/) [Tim Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-howard/) > [Television is a thing that people get very familiar with. They want to hear your voice in their head.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damon-wayans-jr/television-is-a-thing-that-people-get-very-familiar-with-they-want-to/) [Damon Wayans, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damon-wayans-jr/) Browse all 1,984 Hear quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Instead of me telling them what they need to work on, I wanted to hear from them what they needed to work on.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Anonymous" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/instead-of-me-telling-them-what-they-need-to-work-on-i-wanted-to-hear/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Hear" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/instead-of-me-telling-them-what-they-need-to-work-on-i-wanted-to-hear/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b1f/anonymous-1_hear_instead-of-me-telling-them-what-they-nee_311468.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b1f/anonymous-1_hear_instead-of-me-telling-them-what-they-nee_311468.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b1f/anonymous-1_hear_instead-of-me-telling-them-what-they-nee_311468.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Instead of me telling them what they need to work on, I wanted to hear from them what they needed to work on.” — Anonymous", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Anonymous", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Instead of me telling them what...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/instead-of-me-telling-them-what-they-need-to-work-on-i-wanted-to-hear/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/instead-of-me-telling-them-what-they-need-to-work-on-i-wanted-to-hear/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```