A nineteenth-century editor in Boston once wrote:
“One knows the very nature of both man and woman by their actions at the table. One suddenly sees their innermost characters, their attitudes, their breeding, but above all, one knows whether one cares to spend another evening at table with them.”
For two people with a comparable level of education and professional skill, what often separates one from the other when it comes to success is their ability to connect with others, engage in conversation, and communicate their true potential to decision-makers—in other, words, their level of social skills.