I mentioned at the start of this book that I lead a human behavior research company called, Keirsey with its raison d’être stated as:  “Our mission is to change the world by helping people understand each other.” Several years ago, I remember once being introduced for a keynote at a leadership conference by the Chief Learning Officer of a prominent company, and he said, “Hello, I’m Brent. I’d like to introduce you to my friend, Edward, who serves as the CEO of Keirsey. What I can tell you about him is that he knows you better than you know yourself; he understands you in a way that you may never quite ever understand. So, you are going to want to make sure to connect with him over the next few days.” He then said with a laugh, “Even years from now, he will remember you. He’s not likely to remember your name, but he will remember your temperament.” Everyone laughed at his remark, and then to close it off he said, “He’s so good at reading people that even if he forgets your temperament,  he’ll be able analyze you on the spot and pretend that he remembers you. I don’t know anyone on the planet that can read someone more accurately and more quickly than he can. The fact that he won’t remember your name is okay, though, because it really doesn’t matter; what does matter is that he understands you now, and will always understand you.”

For years, my friends and colleagues, have recounted that introduction with fondness. But, over all the years, Brent’s introduction always felt a little bittersweet for me. As the CEO of a company that seeks to understand people, I thought about how ridiculous it is to be able to claim that you understand somebody without knowing their name. If you think about it, it’s pretty messed up. “I don’t know your name, but I know who you are. And I truly understand you.” I came to the conclusion that a good place to start when you’re seeking to understand someone is to perhaps start with a person’s name. A simple, “Hi, my name is Edward, what is your name?” can work wonders.

A passage that I love in Judaism states:  “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.” If names mattered to the God, The Creator of Everything, then as someone who seeks to live to honor God, perhaps I should regard names as being important. After all, when God was revealed in human form, one of the first things revealed about God was God’s name. In Judaism, the name Immanuel (עִמָּנוּאֵל) was declared, which means “God is with us.” This name is associated with the prophecy in the Book of Isaiah and points to God entering into humanity to be with us. In Christianity, the name Jesus was given, from the Hebrew name Yeshua (ישוע), which is a shortened form of Yehoshua (יהושע), meaning “G-d is salvation” or “G-d saves.”