#communication-style

#communication-style

I've interviewed over 200 people for articles, from startup founders to burned-out middle managers, and I've discovered something fascinating: intellectual depth isn't about fancy degrees or knowing obscure facts. It shows up in how we communicate. When certain habits dominate someone's style, it reveals a concerning lack of curiosity and critical thinking that goes beyond just being annoying-it fundamentally limits their ability to engage with the world meaningfully.

For all of them, in the last 15-to-20 minutes, I give them an opportunity to ask questions-and if they don't have any, I think that's a pretty significant mark against them being curious about what they're interviewing, the company, the way we might work together, chemistry, culture, all of those things. That's a pretty big red flag.

If someone asks David a question during a talk and he doesn't know the answer right away, he will sit in silence for as long as he needs while he thinks about it.

Adeel Habib likely perceived his missing office mug as theft, leading to resentment among colleagues, which he argued was racially motivated but was dismissed by the tribunal.