The quality of our relationships shapes the quality of our lives
PSC 17 – Building Social Connections

This isn’t just an inspiring phrase. It’s a proven fact. Longitudinal studies — including Harvard’s world-renowned adult development research — all reach the same conclusion: what predicts our happiness, longevity, and ability to face adversity is the quality and stability of our human relationships.

And yet, in a world of “likes,” “reactions,” and “networking,” our connections are growing in number but shrinking in depth. We connect — but we don’t truly bond.

PSC 17 is the ability to create, nurture, and maintain meaningful and healthy relationships over time.
It’s not about intensity, frequency, or eloquence. It’s about sincerity, emotional availability, and reciprocity.
This competence develops from childhood… but it can also be relearned at any age.

Why is it so important?
Because we are fundamentally social beings. Because secure attachment doesn’t end in childhood. Because chronic loneliness is now recognized as a health risk as serious as smoking or obesity.

And because even the most brilliant leaders can’t thrive without connection.

PSC 17 isn’t about collaboration (PSC 18) or collective organization. It’s about genuine human connection — free, heartfelt, and real presence with others.
It’s the ability that transforms a colleague into an ally, a client into a partner, and a stranger into a source of support.

At work

It changes everything. It humanizes relationships, strengthens trust, and reduces avoidable conflicts. It supports leaders through the toughest challenges.
A leader with weak social ties quickly becomes an isolated one — and isolation, especially among leaders, often precedes burnout or poor decision-making.

In personal life

It’s the foundation. You don’t need 50 friends — just one person who listens without judgment, who understands you even when you don’t speak. And that requires nurturing.

3 questions for you today:
• When was the last time you reached out to someone just to check in, with no agenda?
• Do you feel surrounded by people who truly understand you?
• Who has been there for you recently — and for whom have you been there, expecting nothing in return?

Micro-action of the day
Find a busy day in your schedule. Block 15 minutes to nurture a genuine connection: call someone you care about, send a note, or invite someone for coffee. Then notice how it makes you feel — and how it makes them feel.

See you tomorrow,
Krumma