So much of life, even so much of software development, comes down to interaction with other people. And a big key (perhaps the big key) to this is building relationships. David Maister says some very interesting things on this topic–things that hit home with me. I’ve been meaning, for some time, to comment on an interview he gave on another site. While I’m waiting to get around to that, let me point you to this wonderful podcast (available in audio and video formats). Go watch it; I’ll wait.

Are you back? I don’t want to spoil the podcast for you, but I do want to list his points.

• One key to building a successful relationship is to listen. And the test of listening is that you remember what was said.

• Another key is to talk when there’s nothing to talk about.

It’s so simple, isn’t it? Simple, but not necessarily easy.