Why Being Relentlessly Relational Might Just Be Your Best Business Strategy Yet 

How to Win Friends and Influence Profits 

Santa is coming twice this year, and it is not because you hit your quarterly targets or finally responded to that HR compliance training. It’s because you were nice. That’s it. No funnel. No KPI. Just good old-fashioned human decency. You were thoughtful, curious, and kind.  

Now, before you roll your eyes and say, “This isn’t LinkedIn therapy,” let me hit you with something wild:  

Harvard researchers spent 80 years studying happiness. Do you know what they found? The single biggest predictor of long-term success and well-being, personally and professionally, was the quality of your relationships. We have not even started down the Simon Sinek rabbit hole yet. 

Translation?  

Your ability to connect with other humans is not a soft skill. It is critical for making things happen. And the good news? Just like deadlifts, scripted cold calls, or Boolean search strings, you can practice it. 

But there has to be a process, right? Something intuitive, something easy to follow, something that makes it easy to make friends no matter how introverted/extroverted I am. Great questions. We are glad you asked. We would like to introduce you to something that will change your life.  

Enter: The FORD Method. Not the car. The acronym.  

Family. Occupation. Recreation. Dreams.  

You know, the stuff humans care about. Let’s break this down from professional to professional, because this is not just about small talk. This is about connection and rediscovering something meaningful (and memorable).  

1. Talk to Strangers  

Forget what your mom told you. Strangers are the business; strangers are the friends you have yet to make.  

A 2023 report from McKinsey found that employees who feel a sense of belonging are 56% more productive.  

Want to know what creates belonging? Conversations. Little ones. With strangers. At the coffee machine. On Zoom. In Slack. At the gate of a delayed flight to Phoenix.  

The more you talk, the more you connect. The more you connect, the more you are trusted. The more you are trusted, the more likely you are to land opportunities that were never even posted. This even works great on interviews as it puts candidates at ease. When those walls come down, you can get to the heart of the matter.  

Still not convinced? One study found that weak ties—those casual connections we often overlook—are responsible for the majority of job referrals and career opportunities.  

(Source: Granovetter, The Strength of Weak Ties)  

So yes, talk to strangers. Smile at them (not creepily; smile, do not stare). Ask about their dog, fantasy football draft, or their kids’ science fair.  

Then, do something radical: Listen.  

2. Get Familiar with Curiosity  

Most people listen to reply. The best people listen to understand.  

Curiosity is your competitive edge. Because while everyone else is busy pitching themselves, you are busy getting interested.  

Ask about someone’s first job. Ask how they fell into recruiting. Ask what they would do with a sabbatical and a free plane ticket. You would be shocked by what people share when they feel seen. And if you remember it? That is elite-level relationship-building.  

“Oh hey, didn’t you mention your son had a soccer tournament last weekend? How’d it go?”  

That’s not just a question; that is connection, and connection is currency.  

3. The More You Practice, The Easier It Gets  

Social muscle works like any other. Use it or lose it.  

Day one? Awkward.  

Day thirty? Charming.  

Day ninety? You are out here making flight attendants laugh before being ushered into exit row seats with legroom and free champagne.   

And let’s be clear, this is not about manipulation, working the room, or closing the deal.  

This is about being a decent human who recognizes that business is built on trust, not tactics. A little bit of kindness goes a long, long way. In a world where technology is making our lives more descriptive and less connectivity, these moments of warmth can change someone’s day.  

4. You Might Learn Something  

Shocker: Other people know things you do not.  

When you become relentlessly relational, you unlock a stream of ideas, stories, perspectives, and insights that no CRM system or social media profile can deliver.  

The HR intern might have a better solution than your VP. The person from procurement might have just read the same McKinsey article as you and come to a completely different conclusion.  

Curiosity makes you smarter. Conversation makes you sharper. And when you are learning constantly, you become what every business wants: a source of value.  

5. It Provides More Than Profit  

Yes, you will get referrals. Opportunities. Perks.  

But the real win? You become the person people talk about when you leave the room… in a good way.  

You become known as the person who sees people. The one who listens. The one who remembers birthdays. The one who sends articles that make them think of you.  

That’s not fluff. That’s reputation. And reputation is worth its weight in stock options.  

6. You Become More Interesting  

Most people are walking LinkedIn profiles.  

You? You are the person who knows someone’s kid loves trains, someone’s partner runs marathons, and someone else is trying to adopt a rescue dog from Romania.  

You are interesting because you are interested. You are memorable because you made them feel like the most interesting person in the room.  

7. People Will Lay Cash at Your Feet (Metaphorically. But Still.)  

This is not woo-woo. It is the network effect.  

The more people feel connected to you, the more likely they are to hire, refer, promote you, or fly across the country to work with you.  

Call it karma. Call it a brand. Call it strategy.  

But it works. Need proof?  

LinkedIn reports that referral hires are 4x more likely to be hired, and 45% stay longer than non-referrals.  

You do not get those referrals by sending cold emails. You get them by making people feel seen, giving something of value, and building up enough trust so that they are willing to recommend you.  

One Giant Caveat

This only works if you care. People can smell a fake from a mile away. Especially in HR. Especially in recruiting. Especially in leadership.  

If you are only asking about someone’s weekend because you are hoping they will buy from you later, they will know. And they’ll make a YouTube video called “10 Ways to Spot a Manipulative Salesperson,” and, your name will be in the comments.  

So do not fake it.  

Be curious because you are. Be kind because it costs nothing. Ask questions because people matter.  

The Wrap-Up:  The Business Case for Being Human  

• Talk to strangers.  

• Ask better questions.  

• Listen like it is a superpower. (Because it is.)  

• Show up, follow up, and remember the small stuff.  

• Do not fake it.  

• And for the love of all things holy, stop thinking of relationships as “leads.”  

Being relentlessly relational does not just make you nice. It makes you unforgettable, unignorable, and occasionally upgraded to first class.  

Just ask Santa (or our CEO, Jonathan Reynolds, he’s got some WILD stories)  

Ready to Recruit with Heart and Strategy?  

At Titus Talent Strategies, we believe the best business decisions start with the right people. We are relentlessly relational and fiercely committed to delivering quality talent that makes a lasting impact. Let’s build something extraordinary together.