4 key reasons that listening is a powerful business strategy

Fast Company

3 hours ago

The loudest voices may seem like they rise above the clamor. But success and sustained growth in business and in life takes people strong enough to listen.
As the president of Chubb Life Hong Kong and head of North Asia for the past three years, I've embraced a business strategy centered around agility, diversity, and yes—proactive listening and learning—from the key stakeholders affected by my decisions. That includes the community that surrounds me, and from the deeper ties that bind us all.
Here are four key lessons I've learned along the way:
#1: Life is full of taboos. Confront them.
Diversity is an ongoing action, not a checklist item to be ticked off. In our recent PR, marketing campaigns, and product launches, we've taken on calculated risks head-on and dared to be inclusive by confronting societal taboos in Hong Kong and beyond.
In a nod to Hong Kong's shifting population demographics and rapidly evolving definition of family, our 'Every Way of Legacy' campaign called for a new definition of legacy: one based on each individual's unique path and values rather than rote social expectations. We brought this ethos to the fore with innovative products like the city's first insurance plan to offer legacy planning for LGBTQ+ couples.
#2: Difficult conversations are waiting. Start one.
Life insurance as an industry is rife with possibility and rich with meaning. It's also a minefield for conversations that many people find difficult.
However, I've found that the most challenging dialogues are often the most rewarding. In HK, death is something we just don't talk about. Responses from our early marketing research surveys show that 71% of Hong Kongers have yet to talk about death and end-of-life planning with their loved ones. Therefore, last year we painted the question 'What's your wish?' quietly on the streets across Hong Kong to ignite the conversations and built a series of events and social media campaigns around this.
As a grand finale of the campaign, we presented 'Conversations of Life: Every Wish Lasts' at Art Basel Hong Kong 2025, an immersive experience that encouraged participants from all walks of life to open up about what they hoped to leave behind for the next generation. By asking guests to think about their final wishes, we were actually challenging them to dream up brighter futures for themselves and their loved ones—and start living out those values today.
#3: Companies are part of communities. Join them.
At its heart, business is about connection—from our clients to the communities that surround us. Growth is never possible without acknowledging where you live, where you came from, and where you're headed next.
We've immersed ourselves fully in local and international communities. From sponsoring Coleman Wong—the first Hong Kong tennis player to win a match at the ATP Masters 1000—to backing events like a YouTube music event, Ultimate Song Chart Awards, special screening for the blockbuster movie The Last Dance, launching Chubb Life Art Gallery, supporting the exhibition 'Picasso for Asia: A Conversation' at M+, and Art Basel, we've sought to embrace our brand philosophy, enabling 'Every Way of Life' by materially supporting the artists who tell our collective stories.
#4: Every voice counts. Count them.
When I joined Chubb Life Hong Kong in 2022, a key priority was enhancing staff retention. By opening up a two-way dialogue and meeting our employees' needs—from an agile, collaborative workspace to improved benefits centered around holistic well-being and work-life balance—we were able to cut that rate nearly in half within just a year.
The principle of the power of listening extends far beyond the workplace. We recently overhauled our underwriting efforts by leveraging insights from our focus groups. These opinions also served as a springboard for our recent array of product launches (with eight released in 2024 alone and two in Q1 2025, including a digital-only product). By considering our clients' unique pain points and needs in an ever-changing world, we've been able to tailor our solutions to them—not the other way around.
After all, the boldest moves and best paradigm shifts don't start with the loudest voices; they start with listening ears.