One builder shared his listening hack during our Lean course:

"Before I respond, my first action is a breath."

Because most of us aren't listening. We're loading our next sentence.

The Friday Night Test

Michael Bonney shared this one: your partner is talking to you on Friday night about plans for the weekend. You say "yeah, no worries." Next morning: "Go where?"

That's hearing. Not listening. There's a massive difference — and it shows up in every relationship, every team interaction, every client meeting.

What the Room Committed To

After this discussion, builders in the room made personal commitments:

• "Put my phone down when someone's talking to me"
• "Look my kids in the eye when they speak"
• "Weekly check-ins with each team member"
• "Stop. Face them. Hear them. Breathe. Respond."

Simple stuff. The human stuff. The stuff that Lean is actually built on — respect for people.