I’ve had the privilege of spending time with some people who are at high levels of success and influence. They have some qualities in common with each other, and I think that’s worth paying attention to. For example, they are disciplined, near-perfectly reliable, and speak truthfully.

Recently I’ve noticed another common quality, extreme interpersonal respect. They treat each person they interact with as valuable, and worthy of a gracious response. They occasionally disagree with someone in the room, sometimes strongly, but it’s never a personal slight, a dogmatic claim, or a disrespectful tone. They are all extremely busy, and time is carefully budgeted for each interaction, yet when I interact with them I feel valued, never dismissed or condescended to.

I have to believe this is not a tactic, this reflects true humility and a deep sense of value for other human beings. I also believe this extreme interpersonal respect is part of why they have so much success and influence in the first place. We all rely on other people for word of mouth, promotions, partnerships, sales, etc. There is no such thing as isolated success.

Every human interaction is a chance to build a bridge that increases trust. Not only is this generous, it’s an investment in your own future.