Perseverance – when people see that you will not give up, they know where you stand and that you are not likely to waiver. That clarity and leadership for a cause will influence people. Is that you?
Yoritomo talks about “Unremitting action”.
He talks about listening. There are some who do not listen to you when you speak. They are weak minds and are people who will not get very far. But you should not be one of them if you wish to influence. If someone is talking to you and you do not listen but are distracted instead – “this frivolous inattention may pass as a sign of contempt; besides, it is always in opposition to the influence which we might have over them.”
He talks about being distracted while people are trying to talk to you. I am sure he would mention cell phones today. If someone I am trying to talk to is checking their phone while I am talking to them, it tells me I am not important. I will go away, and not come back.
When someone comes to talk with you in your office, when they walk out, how do they feel? That you listened? That you cared about what they had to say? What will they tell others about your meeting?
Listening matters. You don’t have to agree or give them what they want. But you do have to listen and consider what others have to say.