Mark Cuban Says This Is the One Skill That Makes Barbara Corcoran an Ace at Business: 'Getting That Input Makes Me Smarter' The billionaire also talked about what sets him apart from the other "Sharks."
By Emily Rella
Key Takeaways
- Cuban discussed the power of listening and being silent when it comes to making business decisions.
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In business, speaking up and speaking your mind can seem like the most important thing when it comes to advocating for yourself and your product.
But billionaire investor and "Shark Tank" star Mark Cuban is inclined to preach the opposite — sometimes being silent can be your biggest advantage.
In an open forum discussion on Fireside with author and former FBI hostage negotiator Chris Voss, Cuban answered a question about the power of being silent and how that can help when it comes to making business decisions.
Related: Mark Cuban Slams Elon Musk Over 'Free Speech' On Twitter
"Silence has a lot of power, it gives you a chance to learn," Cuban said. "There'll be times when someone walks in on 'Shark Tank', and I'm thinking to myself, there's no way I'm interested. Or, if I am, I don't have quite all the data that I need to make a decision. So [I'll] just be quiet and listen."
Alex Rodriguez, Barbara Corcoran and Mark Cuban sit during Season 8 of "Shark Tank" (Getty Images)
Longtime viewers of the show will know that Cuban often talks last after listening to what the other Sharks have to say and the questions they ask — especially regarding the capital needed to make a deal.
Cuban then joked that co-star Barbara Corcoran isn't good with numbers but has exceptional interpersonal skills.
"She is so good at sizing up people and understanding who they are," Cuban gushed. "I want to hear what she has to say, you know, I want to get a sense of what her perspective is. And so just getting that input makes me smarter … silence is golden, silence is powerful … Most people don't realize that."
Though Cuban may champion using silence when negotiating deals, he certainly hasn't backed down when it comes to his feud with fellow billionaire Elon Musk. The two have long battled on social media.
Cuban has been slamming Musk's Twitter changes in recent months, including his removal of the legacy blue checkmark verification system and accusations that the new algorithm system favors Musk's account to have more influence than others on the platform.
As of Thursday afternoon, Cuban's net worth was an estimated $6.67 billion.
