Old friends reconnect after 30 years

I had the pleasure of recently reconnecting with an old friend from college.

I hadn’t seen Chris (Rahi) Hassab for nearly 30 years.  We met as classmates at Wayne State University.

Apparently, our mutual friend, John Austerberry, mentioned my name to Chris so she reached out to me and we arranged lunch.  When we got together, it was like being reunited with a long-lost friend!

But here’s the weird part–Chris and I weren’t that close in school.

Time, however, has somehow made us closer and I felt like we had much in common, even though Chris and I had absolutely no communication for nearly three decades.

Our conversation was remarkably unreserved as we happily shared  personal details about our respective lives–information that we hadn’t shared with each other even back in the day.

How is this possible?  What suddenly made us perceive each other as “safe” confidants?

When does “new” become comfortable?  How can people develop the ability to help relationships blossom faster at work?

Salespeople covet skills that help shorten the selling cycle.  Managers would love to get new employees to plug in sooner rather than later.  Customers adore service providers who can practically read minds.  What is the secret sauce that allows relationships to blossom quickly and easily?

When does “new” become comfortable and how can we get comfortable sooner?