What to build

What do you think makes things easy for us in this world? Aside from God’s intervention, that is. In fact, how we relate with God is one example.

Relationships. Deep and stable relationships are based on years of trust that builds one’s confidence on another.

In our world of business, we cannot say that money is the be all and end all of things.  Relationships are. From having strong connections, one establishes better business arrangements.  Credit lines are based on years of trust. The word of a supplier to deliver his goods as promised is the intangible stronghold that keeps the business going. The fear of not being able to meet the demands of a customer when circumstances prevent accurate date or volume compliance can only be assuaged by immediate communication so adjustments can be made. And isolated delays are respected because that degree of faith has already been established.

That is why it is important to keep one’s word the best way one can. In business, a promise made is a promise fulfilled and if that is broken frequently and without care, one is definite that there will be no repeats of business that will follow.

Relationships are what politicians covet when they do their rounds prior to an election.  By shaking hands, doing fist bumps and all the waves and smiles, the candidate hopes to establish that link that will ink their name in the ballot box.

There is a lot in a handshake. And often I find myself evaluating the sincerity of a person through his handshake. A steady grip or firm handshake spells more than a light exchange of hands that somehow makes the other party feel …nothing. As if that fleeting touch meant nothing at all.

Compared to a firm handshake with eye contact, one can see the depth of the sincerity.  Although there are some I must say, who have perfected the art of pretense. But anything superficial will not hold in the long run.

Building long-standing relationships take time and effort. It also wraps in commitment and an alignment of principles.

People part ways and sever their relationships because of changes in beliefs and possibly that loss of confidence brought about by constant disappointments. It can also be because of peer pressure, or in the case of politics, vested interests or party pressure.

Losing relationships are painful and costly. In business, we try as much to avoid this as there is an interdependence between suppliers, manufacturers, sellers and consumers. The whole wheel of commerce actually churns on relationships and we would like to keep that running so if you have established a good relationship, keep it. If not, build it.