Back in the day, when upward mobility meant moving to a larger cave closer to fresh water, it is possible men shook hands to indicate they weren't about to wrap them around each other's necks. Jump ahead about 500,000 years, and it is posited medieval knights would present and grip each others' hands to show they were not about to disrupt their tenuous amity with a concealed weapon.
Jump ahead even further to the present day, and it seems an unsettling number of executives have lost the simple but profound gift of offering their hand in a meaningful way to each other. How is it possible such a useful, durable convention has lost its standing?
While in some parts of the world a handshake holds little currency, or can even be construed as rude, in our corner of the planet a firm handshake has value. It suggests confidence, integrity and interest. It offers friendship, support and stability to a fellow human being with whom we would like to initiate or continue a mutually beneficial relationship.
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