Kenna with Mark and Sheri

Our daughter Kenna just graduated from Navy boot-camp at Great Lakes Naval Station, just north of Chicago. We went up for her “Parade-in-Review” ceremony/graduation and spent the weekend being the proud parents of a new sailor. When I asked Kenna what was the most important thing she learned or discovered about herself; she replied, “They told us on the 1st day that we didn’t know how to listen and had NEVER learned how to listen and that was going to be the hardest task at hand for the next 7 weeks.”  Of course, all of her fellow recruits (she was in a co-ed division) doubted this assertion and spent the next week discovering through push-ups, lean-and-rests and other physical pursuits how wrong they were. The RDC’s (Recruit Division Commanders) illuminated for the recruits in the way that all Drill Instructors enlighten, with physical reinforcement. Kenna learned that marching and physical training is one of the many forms of listening in action and that after her 7 weeks were up, she realized that she had a new distinction for listening! When we were talking about it, Kenna was relating all the colorful ways that the RDC’s reinforced listening. Kenna mentioned that the kind of listening her RDC’s required had to be exact, 1st time and accurate with action. She said this was one of the ways her RDC’s assessed leadership potential.This would be the only way to listen in the heat of battle and to save others and her own LIFE! When ship compartments are flooding or on fire, accurate and precise listening would mean the difference between life and death…with no time for second guessing. Her mom and I both noticed the new maturity and bearing that she greeted us with upon graduation. Her plan is to head towards serving on a hospital ship doing Radiology or Physical Rehabilitation and she now knew how vital listening was going to be regarding her posting.

I realized while we were speaking that (although not a life and death situation) listening is crucial in our custom design work and for creating a memorable piece for the client that accurately reflects their desires. We have to listen for what the client wants (not what we want) and guide them with our technical expertise and creativity. We have to know what metals will work best for the application, what gems will be appropriate for hardness and wearability, and what budget we will need to fit the client’s request. Many times I have to listen to what is not being said and to ask the right questions that will eliminate wrong directions or poor design choices. This is one of the areas that I really enjoy as it allows me to become more intimate and related to our clients. I am thankful that when I was working at Wenzel Jewelers in Barrington, Illinois, Mr. Wenzel allowed me to work directly with clients in the design process rather than have one of our sales staff interpret for me. He trusted me with his clients and that trust required me to heighten my listening capabilities beyond my own head chatter, so I could design successfully for those customers. Even though what we do is not life and death scenarios, we are relating to clients in a way that includes those scenarios, honors them, and creates a lasting tribute to fallen family heroes, loved ones and/or gifts of everlasting love. I realize that people hand me their most treasured and valuable objects, family heirlooms that you cannot place a price upon. I listen with rapt attention as clients share with me the history of each pendant, ring, diamond and brooch. I understand that I am being trusted with someone’s family legacy that could be many generations old and it is incumbent on me to listen as if someone’s life depends on it…what if we all listened this way?