The last mile... or why emotional connection is important

We all know logic and reasoning will make people think but they act based on emotion. For many of us, the effort to make the emotional connection is too much work. We explain away our social clumsiness by stating:

• "The problem has a solution, its so obvious, why can't you see it?" or
• "My job is to solve the problem, now you have a best-in-class solution. Take it or leave it" or
  
• "I don't have time to explain the details or make you feel good about adopting it, I have more productive things to do"

Now imagine a cell phone company setting up a high speed network that guarantees crystal clear audio quality. It provides customers with the latest smart phone. Phone calls can be made and received between customers on different networks. A lot of hard work, creativity, technology and investment was required to make this happen. Now imagine a situation where the customer speaks into the phone, but the listener cannot hear!

You'd say, "That's ridiculous!" And you would be right.

Now think about people connecting with each other to get things done. Each person has value to offer, but if they are not able to connect emotionally, it is unlikely that any value will be exchanged. In fact, sometimes, if the parties do not connect emotionally, they may lose value (through lost time, aggravation, hassle, stress).