The 11 Laws of Likability

7The Law of Similarity

“Much of the vitality in a friendship lies in the honoring of differences, not simply in the enjoyment of similarities.”

—James L. Fredericks, theologian

Early in my career I worked for a bank and was assigned a new project with a vendor whose CEO was a man named Mateo. By all outward appearances, Mateo and I were different on every front: gender, age, religion, ethnicity, education, hobbies, career level, family lives. He was a thirty-something techie who was married with three children. He spoke his native Ukrainian with his family and adhered closely to his culture’s traditions. I was a single twenty-something MBA whose only responsibilities and priorities were work and fun.

The project required ongoing communication ...