Why Building Friendships Makes Us Better

Last weekend I went on a ski trip with a group of industry friends, including Chris Erwin and Chas Lacaillade, to one of my favorite places, Park City, during the best time to enjoy empty slopes: The Sundance Film Festival.

The trip has become an annual tradition. What began as a way to combine networking with skiing has evolved into something more meaningful. This time away from the daily grind of our jobs allows a crew of highly driven, career focused people to foster deeper connections. If I had to put it in business terms, we believe in the “value” of friendship and are thoughtfully investing our time in developing it.

As a society, we interact more than ever before via a myriad of platforms, yet are increasingly disconnected from one another. It's clearly taking its toll on us. By prioritizing the time to be more intentional about friendships, we provide people we trust an opportunity to gain deeper insight into our lives, to support us and to challenge us.

Building friendships doesn’t just make us happier and healthier, it makes us better leaders, partners and employees.