“I just called to say hello and see how you are doing,” I said.

Then silence. The assumption was that I called for a business matter. I could sense it. The business posturing was evident.

Then the reply came, with tears in the voice. “That made my day. Thank you.”

There had been a family loss. It was a genuine phone call. I reached out not as a doctor, but as a human being checking on another human being.

I called not to discuss work, but to check on the person. The call was not about business at all. It was about the most important thing in life: relationships.

 Follow the whole article at this link: The Human Core of Leadership: Why Presence Matters More Than Strategy