A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to meet someone new to town who had just started working out at my gym. The conversation started with a natural curiosity of what had brought her to Austin. It then led into what lessons she had learned along the way. And finally, what were the truths about herself that had persisted throughout and had served to guide her along in her journey.

Halfway through the conversation, she asked me if I had a rolodex of questions that I used to go deep with others and if she could borrow it. When I told her 'no', she insisted on me at least explaining my methodology for going deep with others so seamlessly and expressed wanting to have more conversations like this one. I told her that the methodology was, that whenever talking to someone else, to truly care about them and recognize the wealth of wisdom, experience, and insight that they have to offer.

Once you recognize those things, you are able to step back and really let the other person shine. It becomes wholly about them – their life, their passions, etc... And from there, it's like a flywheel – you keep diving deeper and deeper, consistently acknowledging them and reflecting their own beauty back at them all along the way.

That said, this can't be forced. If you want to really have a deep and meaningful conversation with someone, you must truly care about them and their story. Such an attitude serves to foster a safe and judgement-free environment for people to openly express themselves without fear.

Not only does this sort of lifestyle allow you deeper and more meaningful relationships, but it also allows you to show up as "grounded" and "real", as Sue Heilbronner discusses in her post "Leading Authentically – There is No Other Way".

For those of you interested in learning more about living in this way, I highly advise checking out some of the content from the Conscious Leadership Group and their 15 Commitments. This article focused on the following four: