My friend and former business partner John Andrews posted about my recent visit to Hickory, North Carolina. We built a company together back in the Collective Bias days, and I stop at John and Shannon’s house on both the northbound and southbound legs of my annual summer road trip.
John wrote that nothing about my route required Hickory. I built it in anyway.
This time we had dinner among the vines at Rayson Vinyards, stopped at The Downbeat, and swung by Carolina Pedal Works. John also pointed out that we spent some of the time on our phones, perfectly comfortable in each other’s company. He called that “the tell, not the flaw.” I loved that he noticed.
My favorite friendships are like that. The special part isn’t always what we’re doing. Sometimes we’re having a great conversation. Sometimes we’re doing our own things in the same room. Either way, I’m happy just to be there with them.
I’m lucky to have a few friendships like that in my life, and they’re the ones that mean the most to me. John and Shannon are among those dear friends. We share a lot of history, including the work John and I did building a company together, but I keep coming through Hickory because I value the time we spend together now.
I talk a lot about Return on Relationship. In business, it’s easy to hear the word return and think of what a relationship might produce. But some of the most valuable returns have nothing to do with business. They’re the ease of an old friendship, the joy of another visit, and knowing you can just be yourself in someone’s company.
John, I meant what I said in my comment: I value our friendship more than you know. And Shannon, I’m grateful that your home has become part of my journey in both directions.
The most important RETURN ON RELATIONSHIP is FRIENDSHIP. Sometimes, the detour is the whole point. 🙏🏻💞🙏🏻
