In the 1940’s someone’s handshake meant something. To some it was almost a blood bond.It was the forerunner to terms and conditions, contracts, paragraphs and meaningless sentences concocted by lawyers, to placate those who didn’t know the true meaning of two hands joining together. It was a symbol of trust, and people knew that if they couldn’t deliver on the promise, not to shake someone’s hand to say they could. My father and his father taught me that.
My word is still my bond, and I think carefully before making a promise and binding it with a handshake. Sadly, a new generation seems to have lost – or never been introduced – to this honourable gesture.
People do business with people they trust, and unless you prove yourself to be a person of your word, then what have you got left? Certainly, not reputation and that, dear reader, is all you have in the world of business.
