“Eventually everything connects – people, ideas, objects. The quality of the connections is the key to quality per se.” ~Charles Eames

I get requests to connect on various social media platforms all the time. You probably do, too.

It used to be that the number of one’s connections contributed to the illusion of importance.

But I’ve learned from experience that not all connections are equal.

Today, it’s the quality of those connections, not the quantity. It’s about developing trust and loyalty, not the fickle approval of a crowd.

Designer Charles Eames and his partner and brother understood the notion of quality connections within the world of furniture design.

Their Eames chair, pictured above, debuted in 1956 and is a classic, still known world-wide.

The way the piece connected together—functionally and aesthetically—as well as how it connected to the user, is a primary reason for the sustained brand awareness of the Eames’ designs.

It’s the main reason I treasure an Eames stool I snagged in a consignment shop.

Being able to recognize quality in design, or art, or architecture—or people—blooms from an appreciation built on knowledge and experience, and it doesn’t differ much from field to field.

The more you know about something, the more you’re able to appreciate it.

This is true whether you’re talking furniture or family.

It’s the quality of the connections that matter, not how many you have.

Like the tale of the tortoise and the hare, quality beats quantity in any race that truly matters.