Why? Well, because we all know that it’s a placeholder for the question we really want to ask, “What are you worth?”

So why do we continue to ask it if we all agree that it’s a crass way to say hello? This is because we’ve been taught that there’s a hierarchy of worth and we all go up a notch or two based on how we choose to spend 8 to 12 hours a day.

What you DO matters more than who you ARE.

We discard people based on how we view their profession. It’s short-sighted. The question is limiting in that we miss out on what people genuinely value, what their aspirations are, and how they hope to live their lives.

So next time you’re standing near the coffee corner ready to swap pleasantries, don’t ask what do you do. Rather ask, “What interests you?”

I promise… you won’t be disappointed!