January 22, 2026
“Life's most persistent and urgent question is ‘what are you doing for others?’”- Martin Luther King Jr.
I already know you're the type of person who regularly does something for others. It's who you are. I know this because you're reading a newsletter called People > Content. 😎
For those of us with this essential disposition, how can we create the conditions that make the risk of caring for others worth taking?
One idea: explicitly design opportunities for connection
Craft a good question for people to think about, or offer a thought-provoking quote tied to the work you do. Give them time to consider their response. Have them share their thinking with another person, then listen to that person's perspective on the same prompt.
This helps people take the risk of connecting because you've offered something concrete and visible, something that invites their unique insight. When you normalize sharing and listening, you help people feel safe enough to reach out.
Here's what happens: when we learn more about each other, we start to care more about each other. And when we care more, we feel safe enough to do things for others that we otherwise wouldn't do.
A Next Step
Think about a time coming up when you'll be with a group of humans. It could be 3 people. It could be 100. What is one thing you will do to create connection, so that together we can do even more for each other?
