In Europe, very often people do business with you only once they get to know you. It mystifies many Americans, but signing a contract or doing a deal doesn’t come first – people and relationships do. This doesn’t mean kowtowing to others, manipulating or taking advantage of them. It means putting aside the goal of signing a contract or getting the sale and taking time out to learn something about the person in front of you. This means connecting in a sincere and heartfelt way. It’s not a waste of time, but rather like constructing a beautiful, tenuous, subtle web that remains even when the business contract is long forgotten. 

What would it be like to live in a world where people pay attention to other people instead of rush into deals? Making kind and gentle inquiries about another can create a connection, give insights into life and touch hearts. It can help to build a culture of kindness and make the world, particularly the business world, a better place. It starts with each individual making an effort to care. How can you be a little kinder at work today?

Bio: Debra Moffitt is author of Awake in the World: 108 Practices to Live a Divinely Inspired Life. A visionary and teacher, she’s devoted to nurturing the spiritual in everyday life. She leads workshops on spiritual practices at the Sophia Institute and other venues in the U.S. and Europe. Her mind/body/spirit articles, essays and stories appear in publications around the globe and were broadcast by BBC World Services Radio. She has spent over fifteen years practicing meditation, working with dreams and doing spiritual practices. Visit her online at http://www.awakeintheworld.com.