I have a favorite Greek word. In fact, I like it so much it may be my favorite word in general. I know it’s a little odd, but hear me out, it may be your favorite too. The word is ἀκούω (pronounced ak-oo’-o) and it means “To hear, learn, obey, understand.” As a parent this simple idea of hear, understand, obey is a beautiful thing that I constantly try to instill into my kids. But, ἀκούω goes beyond an application for children.

This is an idea I want to implement in my life. ἀκούω is the root of the English word acoustics. The word means more than simply “hear” it means to listen well, internalize what is heard and act on that information. This one word embodies the beauty of deep listening, which brings complete understanding and a clear and definitive response to what is heard. Isn’t that something we all want to be able to do?

I want to apply this idea to my marriage, my parenting, my leading of teams, my interaction with clients, basically everything. I’m convinced that it yield amazing results.