break bread
it's a tradition that goes back as far as man can remember. it predates the roman republic, and even greek democracy. when you want to socialize with someone, the best way of doing so is if you share a meal. when you break bread with someone, there are stories to be told — ideas to confer about — and relationships to be forged. for thousands of years, it has been the foundation of our social interaction as human beings. family dinners, afternoon trips with your friends to grab mcdonald's or taco bell, the late-night drives (or stumbling walks) to the local diner after a night out on the town... we share meals with the people we care about, and we care about the people we share meals with.
so why would you reserve a lunch meeting or dinner at a restaurant for wooing clients? certainly clients help drive the business, but it's your workforce that's behind the wheel. your first love should be with your colleagues. the best way for you to get to know your workers — and for your workers to get to know each other — is to break bread. show your employees that you care as much about them as you care about your clients, and the good vibrations will begin to be felt in all areas of your business. people get to know each other — people start to care about each other — and forge stronger partnerships. these partnerships make your employees more efficient and increase the quality of your products and services.
sharing meals should not be anoccasionreserved for special times — it should be an occasion shared with everyone. breaking bread builds strong relationships. and there's not a company in the world that can thrive without strong relationships.