I’m not the first to say this, I know, but it’s worth repeating: We gain from learning to understand more about how people interact. Many of us are never really taught this – certainly not in any systematic way. This gap – and opportunity – is especially true in numerate disciplines like my own, engineering. Engineers are stereotypically not as effective as they could be at professional relationships. And it’s not just engineers.
That was my experience. I consider myself fortunate though to have been introduced to some effective sources of insight into how to understand and improve human interaction in professional (and other) settings. My books are one way I have endeavoured to share what has made a difference to me.
We might wonder why we are not taught more about the psychology of human interaction at school. It is clearly a life skill. Perhaps we are too young, and it’s necessary to wait until we have a little more experience of life. By then, our development may need to be more self-directed. We may need to find the manual ourselves, whichever one(s) we choose – and then read it.