No one ever became accomplished at anything in isolation. We all learn by observation; the “monkey see, monkey do” saying applies to us as well. To become an accomplished conversationalist, you will need practice. Reading books and taking in audio and video instruction will only take you so far. You could read all the books and watch a bunch of YouTube videos about dentistry, but that won't make you a dentist.

Liz Wiseman is a researcher and executive advisor who teaches leadership to top organizations worldwide. I recently read one of her bestsellers titled Multipliers. In Multipliers, Liz explains how certain employers destroy the productivity of their teams.

At the 4:34 mark in a conversation between marketing powerhouse Gary Vaynerchuk and ActionCOACH founder Brad Sugars, Gary drops a truth bomb that made me pause:

When we face challenging events on a global scale, such as the September 11th...