Simon was recently walking through the park with his three-year-old daughter. Autumn had truly arrived, and brown leaves lay scattered across the ground beneath the bare trees. Simon's daughter saw a small boy playing among the leaves and ran over to see what he was doing. The two quickly formed an unspoken bond as they joined forces, collecting the discarded leaves into piles. If you have children, you are almost certainly familiar with this scene, or one like it. Children naturally want to understand what's happening around them, and that curiosity helps them to connect with anyone, or anything, that intrigues them. When there's something new and exciting to discover, social anxiety is easily forgotten. Connections are easily forged.
People don't support those who are just credible and reliable; they respond when valued and understood. Emotional closeness and trust predict willingness to help far more than formal authority or job title. When support is seen as self-serving, reciprocity drops. Genuine altruism inspires stronger responses. Building authentic, ongoing relationships makes it natural for others to want to help when you need it most.
The venerable carmaker is moving its headquarters for the first time in seven decades, relocating to a newly constructed building 3 miles (5 kilometers) away in its longtime home of Dearborn, Michigan. The new 2.1-million-square-foot (195,096-square meter) structure formally will be called "Ford World Headquarters" when it opens in November. It is part of a larger campus that will take the name of the current HQ: Henry Ford II World Center.