Blog: A Good Handshake is Still Important

The Handshake  

Back in the “olden days” deals were sealed with a handshake. Looking in someone’s eyes with a firm grip on their hand was an oath, a commitment.  Today deals aren’t final until there are signatures on documents which create binding agreements, filled with disclaimers and provisions which heretofore were de facto but now require specificity between the party of the first part and the party of the second part as explained by the party of the lawyer part. Yeah, something like that.

Deal making aside, the handshake used to be a simple and customary greeting. It was an act of respect, a show of courtesy. It seems to be becoming more and more “optional.” Think about how many people you have met who have simply given you a slight nod of the head…at best. Or even worse, how many times have you gotten a handshake that made you wish the custom were just dead all together? There’s the “Please don’t break my hand,” the “You can let go of me anytime now,” the “Nothing should be that limp,” and everyone’s favorite the “Eww why is that hand wet?!”

So why am I rambling on about handshakes? Well for one thing it’s National Handshake Day. There seems to be a National Day for pretty much anything you can think of at this point but this one really got me thinking about tradition, honor and plain old good manners.  My personal experience has always been simple… 

1. A good handshake makes a lasting and positive impression. I’ve never hired someone who didn’t start things off with this basic, yet proper greeting. And I’ve never hired someone who tried to break my hand, keep my hand, etc.
   
   
2. Sadly it’s often not smart to do business without legal agreements and some people can’t even navigate personal relationships without them. But the people you really want to work with have a track record of being honorable.  These are the people you trust, rely on, and refer to others. Being a man or a woman of your word matters and doing so will pay dividends for years to come.

#NationalHandshakeDay #GoodMannersMatter #HonorNeverGoesOutOfStyle