Why Listening Is An Investor's Most Important Skill

All entrepreneurs know the conference hustle. Figure out who has dough, try to figure out what they're interested in, craft an introduction or a scenario where you can be introduced, and try to make it rain. Often, however, investors - philanthropic or profit-motivated - make themselves extremely unavailable. While I understand how frustrating it can be for an investor to face the onslaught of requests, their unapproachability creates a frustrating and corrosive environment at many events

Which is why, at the risk of embarrassing him, I think more investors need to behave like Dave Perry. As Executive Director of the Peery Foundation, Dave has spent the last year or so becoming involved with the social entrepreneurship space. I've run into him now at a few conferences, and have noticed a most notable thing.

Dave displays a deep commitment to listening and learning. Throughout the last few days, he has been an active participant in sessions, and moreover, has taken the time to get to know a wide array of people. This notably includes the crowd of younger people here who are, frankly, not used to being given the time of day. This conference has done a great job of bringing out the most professionally egalitarian instincts in everyone, but Dave is still a model.

Why does this matter? It matters because successful people don't treat others as a means to an end, no matter how good that end is. They learn, discuss, and think about ways they can give as well as take. Being a financier for good projects is no excuse for one to act as though others are commodities. The time people like Dave takes to listen now, in addition to making it likely that he'll make better bets with his giving, will also engender good will that extends far past any grant cycle.

Photo: Even with pals like Muhammad Yunus, Dave Peery refuses to be too cool for school. Courtesy Peery Foundation