Most mornings I can usually be found around to the local cafe looking for my daily coffee fix. I usually order takeaway, so I can drink it back here while reading emails and planning the day, but the other morning, just for a change, I decided to stay there and read the newspaper instead.

Two people arrived and sat down at the table next to me. In a nutshell Person A, as we shall call him, needed some advice from, shall we call him, Person B.

Person A explained his problem while Person B listened carefully. Without going into too much detail, Person A was having trouble with an employee. Person B, judging by his comments, sounded quite familiar with Person A’s sort of issue.

While Person A had done the right thing in seeking the counsel of someone with the expertise he required, he was unfortunately doing himself a disservice by NOT listening to a single word that Person B was saying.

Person A was almost instantly dismissing every suggestion and idea that Person B was offering. In fact Person A sometimes wasn’t even giving Person B time to finish his sentence before interrupting and saying, “no, that would never work”, or, “no, that couldn’t be done.”

It made me wonder why Person A had bothered asking for Person B’s advice in the first place. It was also, I thought, quite rude of him to waste Person B’s time like this.

Eventually Person B managed to prevail with his initial suggestion, but only because Person A had little choice to do so anyway, due to what employment laws say in regard to his situation.

It almost seems that if the law hadn’t have intervened, as it were, Person B would have completely wasted his time travelling out to the cafe to try and help Person A.

And out of this situation I could see a lesson for us all, including those of us changing careers.

If you’re seeking advice from someone, make sure you listen to them. If you’ve asked someone to give up their time to help you, at least have the courtesy to hear them out. Don’t go rejecting every last word, like Person A in the cafe, did.

Every idea, or suggestion, no matter how apparently outlandish or ridiculous it seems, should be taken on board and considered. Keep an open mind. One quite “extreme” idea may lead to another you consider a little more plausible.

Indeed let one idea lead to another. Consider radical ideas the beginning of the thought and problem solving process, rather than something to be dismissed.

Remember, the person you are asking may know you better than you think, and what they say may be of more value than you initially realise.