Over the past few years, I’ve had the privilege of exploring the world through the lens of social capital — how relationships, trust, and shared purpose shape the way we live, learn, and lead. From classrooms to boardrooms, from research surveys to podcast conversations, one truth keeps rising to the surface: connection changes everything.
When we understand the networks that hold us together — our communities, colleagues, families, and friends — we begin to see that success isn’t only about what we know, but about who we grow with.
My work in recent years has focused on turning this understanding into something actionable:
developing the CBI-12, refining the RDFS, and building a formula for connection — a way to measure and strengthen the invisible threads that hold humanity together. Whether through leadership development, organizational design, or therapy-informed frameworks, my goal remains the same: to help people and systems thrive through relational intelligence.
This mission has taken me around the world — from speaking at Sorbonne University in Paris to collaborating with brilliant colleagues across continents — and it’s reminded me that while our languages and contexts differ, our longing to belong is universal.
As I move into this next chapter, I’m more committed than ever to bridging research and real life — blending data with story, and insight with empathy. Because when we build stronger connections, we don’t just change organizations — we change the human experience itself.
Here’s to building bridges, nurturing belonging, and redefining what it means to lead with connection at the center.
— Dr. Rick L. Mask
Author of “Social Capital 2.0” | Senior Associate Dean | Researcher, Speaker & Builder of Human Connection
The Official Author Page of Dr. Rick L. Mask (The Social Capitalist) and the Home of Social Capital 2.0 