A few days ago, we let a Nobel Laureate teach us an important lesson:

When data tells you the world’s not quite what you assumed, have the wisdom to listen and the courage to act. – Dr. James Allison

Here’s a low-level, somewhat related example. What do you do when you make a mistake, and someone points it out?

I’ve written before that I’m a huge fan of Seth Godin, a marketer who writes a daily blog. A few days ago, Seth misspelled Mount Rainier, leaving out the first “i.” A common and very minor mistake, which would most likely go unnoticed by most people. I saw it and wrote him a brief note, complimenting his work, pointing out the error that he might want to fix in the online version, and telling him specifically, “No need to respond.” I really meant “no need to respond” because I was monitoring his website and would see when he had fixed it.

A few hours later, he responded anyway:

good catch

thanks Bob

Four words, and they made my day! And, naturally, when I went back to the website, he had also fixed the error. “The wisdom to listen and the courage to act.” AND, taking the extra 10 seconds to express gratitude.

A good example for us all.

The ear that listens to life-giving reproof will dwell among the wise. Whoever ignores instruction despises himself, but he who listens to reproof gains intelligence. (Proverbs 15.31, 32, ESV)