We often expect people to be good with us. Remember the famous quote treat your customers, as you would like to be treated. And this is important as you grow up you realize even from your oldest friends, neighbors or co-workers building close connections is not as easy as 1, 2 and 3. But if you work your way through relationships, and approach in an organized manner, can do wonders. There are steps you can take today to get on building great working relationships with all those who matter, for tomorrow. But you must treat this as a delicate step-to-step task but once you are confident enough and feel that you have got hold of it, then start using it naturally.
Where to Start From?
You would like to connect with people with whom you have a natural harmony. At the office, you cannot choose your colleagues, but to develop and maintain good relationships is very vital. We will analyze with steps below in detail, but a good time to start any relationship is by wishing them on occasions like their birthdays, anniversaries, or a special festival or occasion. You can even present gifts on these auspicious occasions to gain their respect and trust. Gift size and values do not matter, it is the gift that matters. I remember giving a gift to a friend, not a very close one after having forgotten his birthday. So what I did was give a surprise by ordering through the best discount codes online to get a good deal out of it. Therefore mended my relationships which could have broken rather they became much stronger.
Understanding the Needs in Building Great Working Relationships
If you have a sharp persona to identify early on what you need from others or what he/she needs from you will help develop an understanding and the common desires. This will be crucial and instrumental in building better relationships.
People Skills
Having people skills can be a natural attraction towards you. Nevertheless, if you don’t have these skills, you can develop or learn to use skills like collaboration, communication, and conflict resolution.
Emotional Intelligence
Emotional intelligence (EI) is your ability to recognize your own emotions, and how to apply them truly. If your EI is strong it will be easy for you in identifying and handling the emotions and needs of others.
Mindful Listening
The better your listening skills, the stronger response you can prepare to give. And in turn, People respond better to those who listen deeply. You can practice this known skill also referred to as mindful listening. You’ll talk less and listen more thus understand more. By doing so you’ll quickly become a trustworthy person.
Build Relationships by Investment
What does this mean, Yes! Investment of time? Take a colleague out for a quick cup of tea or if you can have the lunch break dedicated for his or her problem. It may sometimes take a minute or may even take even an hour but such interactions will be worth it as they say. The groundwork for strong relationships is automatically laid through such gestures.
Set Clear Boundaries
This is important as people may start taking advantage of this relationship, so set clear boundaries. Give time but not too much. Sometimes, a working relationship can impair productivity, so rules in place control this. It helps manage the time that you devote to social interactions at work.
Value Others
Everyone likes to hear and feel good about themselves. And when it is genuinely required, do not hesitate to, pass on a compliment. Let your boss or your co-worker or even an intern feel that their work is really good or a particular task that they did was perfect. Pass on a small token of thanks through an appreciation letter with a small chocolate box. Remember genuine praise and recognition will open new vistas to a greater working relationship.
Positivity Works
Good Gracious! Positivity as they say is contagious and people drift down towards those who make them feel good. So make it a habit to remain neutral and let people approach you when in need. And do not turn them down even if you are really busy. Schedule to have a discussion later but not always.
Back Mongering
It’s quite inevitable that you will lose on building great working relationships in the workplace; if you have got yourself involved in Office politics and gossiping behind people’s back. This is actually the real litmus test; talk directly to that someone in your group with whom you are having a problem or you are in a state of conflict. This will help avoid back-mongering and clarify any misunderstandings. Talk about the problem and don’t let them feel that they are the problem. Gossiping will only worsen the situation, accelerating mistrust and animosity among you and the other team members. So avoid this at all costs.
The Important Working Relationship Advice
Good working relationships will make your job more interesting and enjoyable;
- If you have a team that works in close coordination is bound to be more productive and get better results. Both the team and you can dedicate more time to innovate, work on new ideas and work on personal development as well.
- The professional connections that you build up will help advance your career.
- Good relationships with all your co-workers are vital but focus on your manager to get the most out of your job.
- Maintain close relationships especially with the key stakeholders, team members with whom you work daily.
- Be Inclusive as a professional because working relationships are built on trust. Let team members also respect one another along with their opinions. Self-awareness and open communication are key to making these working relationships a success.
Employees First
GO one step further by focusing on the above quote and change it by adopting a new way i.e. “Treat your customers as you would treat yourself”. Because no one will treat oneself in indignation. All employees are internal customers, so they deserve to be treated equally and to the best of your approach. I recall a long time back I read in a Management book, a slogan of United Airlines which said “We put employees first” and this is self-explanatory to be understood, if you treat employees well, they will treat your customers very well, thus building great working relationships forever and ever.
AUTHOR BIO:
Adam George is a digital marketing expert who works for Couponado.com| The discount and voucher providing platform. He just loves to share his knowledge with the world in the form of blogs, videos, and various other types of content. In her free time, she is an active gamer and a TouchWiz who adores researching innovative solutions that emerge in the digital world.
