Les and Leslie Parrott are marriage educators who have brought mentoring to a new level. They run programs and write a blog which I subscribe to. The message they offered today was about successful corporate executives. The common denominator is that they learn from their mistakes. CEO's who instead make excuses, or hurl back blame, are less effective.

There is a young man in my life who is remarkable about listening to feedback. If I launch into a monologue about how things could improve he listens without defensiveness and agrees with me. It is completely disarming. Maintaining angst with someone who is empathetic is harder than holding a greased pig.

I have been known to try this myself. On two or three occasions I succeeded in holding my rebuttal behind lock and key. Clutching on to the belief that this person had something to teach me, I considered their words like a new food, one I had not tasted before. The other day the twins offered input on how I interact with Ben when he gets riled up. Astonishingly, they were right. Not bothering to deflect their astute observations, I put their suggestions to work. Brilliant of me.

Maybe I am ready to apply for a corporate position.