Our friends are our colleagues, our managers are our mentors, our living rooms are our offices, our workplaces are our coffee shops. We talk about work at dinner, and we talk about dinner at work. The lines between the office and the home are being increasingly blurred, making it even more crucial to have quality relationships that fulfill some of the most primal needs we have.

A culture of invitation is one that drives results. A culture of invitation helps produce innovative products and creative solutions. A culture of invitation will breed customer loyalty. And as a bonus, it can bridge divides in our communities, it can fuel a deeper connection with each other, and maybe – just maybe – heal some of the wounds of a splintered society.

Invite input from your employees. When they are engaged in the process, they are more likely to be invested in the outcome. It’s the same principle as executive coaching, consulting, and parenting: if the other person can come up with the solution on their own, they are more likely to follow through with it.

We think that avoiding differences will better serve the company. We believe that if we focus on the work, our politics or lifestyles or love interests won’t get in the way. But it’s actually the other way around: if we focus on our relationships, and foster humanity at work, the productivity and quality will both increase.