During the last months, I have moved more and more meetings, especially with people I don’t see so often, to a lunch slot. We meet in person, have lunch, talk about more than just work and connect socially as well as talk about work. I noticed that the discussion much more easily flows into dreams, ambitions, purpose and other topics. Although people may easily give the impression that they “do it for the money”, digging a little deeper almost always surfaces a sense of purpose and meaning in people that justifies them spending time and energy on the topic at hand. It helps build a human connection and to go from being “deal friends” to being “real friends”. Of course, this is not a new idea. In his 2005 book with the title “Never eat alone”, Keith Ferrazzi already claimed that shared meals lead to stronger, more authentic professional relationships. As an empty nester who works from home a lot, I still eat plenty of meals by myself, but as a reminder to myself, and perhaps you, try to eat together with others as often as you can.