As I look around our industry—and honestly, our society—I can’t help but notice how much our relationships have changed over the last decade. We are more connected than ever before through technology, yet in many ways, we seem less connected as people. Today, most communication happens through texts, emails, instant messages, and social media. Need an answer? Send a text. Need to address an issue? Send an email. Need to check in with someone? Maybe send a quick message. The convenience is undeniable. Technology has made us faster and more efficient.
But I sometimes wonder what we’ve lost along the way. There is something powerful about looking someone in the eye, shaking their hand, and having a real conversation. There is value in picking up the phone instead of typing a message. There is trust built when people sit across a table from one another and talk—not just about work, but about life. Many of us remember a time when business relationships looked different. We knew our clients personally. We knew about their spouses, their children, and their interests outside of work. We invited them to company picnics, golf outings, and events. We spent time together because relationships mattered, not just transactions.
Those relationships created trust. That trust created opportunities. And those opportunities helped build companies like ours.
Today, it is entirely possible to work with someone for years and know almost nothing about them beyond their email address and job title. That should concern us. Whether it’s with our coworkers, customers, subcontractors, vendors, or industry partners, strong relationships remain one of the most valuable assets we have. In an increasingly digital world, genuine human connection has become a competitive advantage.
People do business with people they know. People help people they trust. People remember how you made them feel.
This applies inside our company as much as it does outside. Every day, we work alongside people who may be dealing with challenges we know nothing about. Taking a few extra minutes to ask how someone is doing, checking in on a coworker, or having a conversation beyond the task at hand can strengthen our culture in ways no technology ever could.
As we move forward, I would challenge each of us to help get the pendulum swinging back.

Pick up the phone instead of sending the email.
Walk into someone’s office instead of sending the text.
Schedule the meeting instead of the message.
Ask questions. Listen. Learn about the people around you.

Before I close, I’d like to challenge everyone reading this article to take one small step this month. Pick one personal relationship and one professional relationship that you would like to strengthen. Maybe it’s a family member you haven’t called in a while. Maybe it’s a friend you’ve been meaning to catch up with. Pick up the phone, schedule lunch, or stop by for a visit.
Then do the same professionally. Reach out to a client, a coworker, a vendor, or someone in our industry that you haven’t spoken with beyond emails and texts. Invite them to lunch. Grab a cup of coffee. Walk into their office. Have a conversation that isn’t solely about the project at hand. You don’t need to overhaul your life or your schedule. Start small.
One phone call.
One lunch.
One meeting.
One meaningful conversation.

Relationships are built one interaction at a time, and every strong connection starts with someone making the effort to reach out. Let’s be those people. Because at the end of the day, our business is not built on projects, contracts, or technology. It is built on people. And people will always matter most.