Look at the photo above. What do you see? A car? A dirt road? Old guys? It's a small group of young men, friends, on a road trip in 1937. The photo is taken in Dumont, Colorado. The gentleman holding the tapestry is my grandfather, Arnold. The other men, his friends.
So what the hell does this have to do with longevity for your life and business? Well, as it turns out, quite a lot. According to a
study I just heard about via TED by Harvard University, the secret to happiness, fulfillment and longevity is quality relationships. The kind that my grandfather had with his crew.
Why, you may ask, is this interesting to me? Well, I'll tell you. My whole business is relationship building. Facilitating connections and educating people on how to build relationships that will help them expand their businesses. So it stands to reason, to me at least, that if quality relationships are good for your health, your longevity and your happiness then why wouldn't that be true in business as well? Wouldn't it make sense to invest time and energy into building quality relationships with your business partners, your employees, your clients and customers? People do business with people they like and trust. A healthy rapport is essential to acquiring and retaining business, in my opinion.
So I guess this is a hypothesis that I would like to discuss with you. Watch the TED talk and let me know your thoughts on this. What does your gut tell you? Is business just business? A transaction? Or is there more to it? Does having a real relationship with your partners, stakeholders and customers make a difference? If for nothing else than just your quality of life at work.