Some of the best project managers I met in my professional career shared an affinity for asking good questions.

"Ask good questions" is probably advice you've received before, but as stated, it's almost too simplistic to resonate. That's because the goodness of a question isn't just about what you ask, but picking up on cues in the first place.

When you look closer at a seasoned project manager at work, you'll notice they zoom in on small, seemingly insignificant statements and explode them out into game-changing information.

Listening in cothinking mode means going beyond letting the other person talk and merely registering the information. You need to participate in the other person's thinking as if it were your own.

"Yeah I figured that might be the case."

"I mostly agree."

"Well, we've been down that road before."

These are just a few examples of statements that could easily fly under the radar. If you're cothinking, you'll quickly catch on with these statements because your ability to cothink hits a speed bump.

"You did? how so?"

"That's good, but what's the part you don't agree with?"

"You've been down that road before? Tell me more about that."