Allies.

We all need them. In geopolitics, in the boardroom and in meetings. In the office, in your industry and in trying to get things done.

I believe you only get the allies you need if you communicate well.

The picture at the top is a life-sized statue of Sir Winston Churchill having a convivial chat with President Franklin Roosevelt on a bench on London’s Bond Street.

Winston Churchill knew the power of sitting down with someone, face-to-face.

It means you can see the whites of their eyes and don’t need to conjure up an image of them to put yourself in their shoes.

It removes any ambiguity and barriers to being understood that can develop when talking on a telephone or exchanging written messages.

It builds bonds, smooths the way for collaboration and cements trust because you and the other person.

Churchill went to great lengths in the Second World War to build deep connections through conversations with other leaders travelling the world and putting himself in immense danger.

Today it is all too easy to send an e-mail, drop someone a text, or message them on Teams. These are all fine ways to keep things moving but often are just you broadcasting rather than communicating, so don’t build the human connection you need.

With the integration of AI and other advanced tools into your working life it should make you more productive and save you time. What will you do with that time?

I’d invest that time in going to see people and having connected conversations.

It is unlikely any trip will be as uncomfortable or dangerous as Churchill’s transatlantic visits to Washington running the gauntlet of U-Boats and enemy airplanes.

And hopefully you will not be going to meet someone as duplicitous as Joseph Stalin.

You nurture allies when you remember what it is to be human.

Like all humans, your brain is wired to be social. So go out and make that social contact.