When I was little, I remember my savvy grandmother telling me that there was a reason that we were born with two eyes and two ears but only one mouth. It was her way of emphasizing the importance of listening and observing as a way of learning about the world and the people around us.

It seems our world today is overflowing with people who want to talk and be heard, but too few who are good at listening and observing as a means of seeking understanding. I include myself in that group of eager talkers. It is a personal goal of mine to be more patient and become better at listening. To listen to whom? To the nurses of California, to my professional colleagues and friends who have always taught me so much and to my family and personal friends as well.

Does this seem odd, given that I spend a whole lot of my time these days writing, speaking and consulting (i.e., talking) about nursing and our issues? Amid the multicultural world that we live in, listening is a critical competency for achieving understanding and empathy. I think we can all agree that health care could use a good dose of it, on all sides.

I recently participated in a public forum on the nursing shortage in the community where I live. Except for a few VIPs and media representatives, the majority of the audience were nurses who worked in the public health care sector. There was also good representation from nursing education.

Each nurse who came to the microphone had "from the heart" comments about their views on nursing and potential solutions to the shortage. Most were eloquent and impassioned. I felt honored to have the opportunity to hear these nurses tell their stories, all different, and all told from different perspectives and practice environments. What was most compelling was that, by far, the majority of these nurses remain committed to nursing, especially "their" kind of nursing. They continue to be proud and satisfied with their career choice to be a nurse. We should consider ourselves lucky that these nurses are there to care for those in need who may have no other access to care.

When you listened carefully to these nurses' concerns regarding their workplace and profession, they were focused on relatively simple issues, albeit in an incredibly complex environment. The recommendations and solutions presented by these nurses were not necessarily the kind that require a big price tag. In fact, the most important take-away from the night was that the real price tag for rebuilding the nursing workforce rests in the currency of renewed trust and respect, increased autonomy, transformed organizational culture and the collapse of bureaucracy.

While this is a huge task, it can be done. But, it requires eager and willing nurses and receptive leadership. The first step is simple. It is about listening.

So, the next time you have an opportunity, sit down with a colleague, a boss, a physician, or a CEO, ask them a question (e.g., If you had the power, how would you change nursing?) and then just listen. Carefully.

With luck, they will return the favor.