Why Relationships Matter

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Great relationships start with great questions.

Ask about subjects your conversation partner most enjoys discussing.

Favorite topics include professional goals and personal passions.

Open-ended questions prompt robust responses.

Most of us cross paths with people we know outside of our families during the course of our day. From neighbors to co-workers, in the workplace and the marketplace, we run into people we know all the time. Depending on the relationship, we might wave to get their attention to say hello, or walk the other way. When we choose to engage, many people take the easy way out by defaulting to the usual greeting—some version of: “How are you?” To which the answer is usually “fine.” The conversation is over before it has even started. Sometimes we decide to prolong the pleasantries by asking the routine follow-up, “What have you been up to?” The answer is predictable: “Not much, just working. What about you?” Thankfully, there are more interesting ways to engage that may actually spark a more meaningful........

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