He asked me in the first place because I have a reputation for shooting people straight and giving bluntly honest advice, even if it isn’t always pleasant to hear.

Great piece. A great way for me to look at myself, and work on where I may can improve or where I had some of these issues in the past and improved upon them. Listening well to others being a big one. However the quote I pasted above from your piece when I hear people say that about themselves out loud to others, I always reply "That's fine as long as you are civil about the delivery" The usual reply back is "Oh I am" but never said along with the I'll tell you like it is statement. We all owe it to each other to be honest in our dealings no matter who we are, but how we convey that message counts also if you want to be heard.

“Tact is the ability to tell someone to go to hell in such a way that they look forward to the trip.”

― Winston Churchill