Ask a lot of questions and then listen, listen, listen.

As my previous career was that of a commodities floor trader where yelling over someone was a means to success, listening was not a practice I abided by when I entered the employee benefits business. Whether it was remnant of my previous career or having to show whoever was in the room that I knew everything (which I didn't), my lack of listening in the early days of my professional development was a trait that I needed to overcome.

As I set out to change this, I fought the urge to speak out and instead listened when a prospect, client or a fellow professional spoke. At this point in my career I see many others making the same mistake of not listening and missing opportunity.