4 Ways to Cultivate Better Work Relationships

“Business is not just doing deals; business is having great products, doing great engineering, and providing tremendous service to customers. Finally, business is a cobweb of human relationships.” – Ross Perot

4 Ways to Cultivate Better Work Relationships
The article below is contributed by Eduard Ezeanu.

I can’t say enough about the crucial role interpersonal relationships play in work success. From supervisors to colleagues to subordinates, and from clients to suppliers to business partners, their behavior towards you isn’t based on your professional competence alone, but on the nature of your relationship with them as well.

People wanna to work with people they trust, people they collaborate well with, and people they like. And these aspects concern primarily their relationship with you, not your job skills per se. In fact, when you have good work relationships, many positive things are much more likely to happen for you.

With good work relationships, it’s easier to:

• Get help and support from your peers when you need it;
• Obtain insider information that few people have access to;
• Get promoted or have access to important projects;
• Get recommended and acquire new clients;
• Keep your current clients and sell them more;
• Obtain special privileges and bonuses that others don’t get;
• Redeem yourself in case of mistakes or slipups;
• And the list could go on.

Good relationships simply make your work and your life much more rewarding.

And the best news is that even if you don’t see yourself as a person who is highly skilled socially, there are a few simple but powerful actions that you can take and you’ll still have great work relationships. Here are the most important 4 of them:

1. Talk to People Everywhere

Get in the habit of being talkative at work. Don’t just make work-related conversation, and only when it is required. Initiate conversations and social interactions, talk to people everywhere and be personal. For example:

• When you meet someone in an elevator at work, say “Hello” and talk to them. Even if you don’t know them.
• When you’re discussing with a client, don’t just discuss your products or services. Make a bit of meaningful small talk as well.
• If you share your office space with other people, chat with them throughout the workday. Don’t stare at your computer all day long.
• During breaks, hang out with other people and talk to them instead of spending the time alone.
• Periodically go out or do stuff outside of work with colleagues, important clients or other key people you interact with professionally.

This type of behavior allows the people in your work life to know you better not just as a professional, but as a person. And you get to know them also. This builds trust and connection, which does wonders for your job or business.

2. Demonstrate Integrity

There is nothing more effective for building a sense of trust and respect than personal integrity. By integrity I understand the alignment between your thoughts, your words and your deeds. It means you express yourself honestly and you do what you promise. This is a very important trait to convey at work, and you convey it by actually having it.

Of course, having integrity is easier said than done. Many times you’ll be tempted to hide your true opinions and put on an act, or ignore your promises and take a different path.

The only way to have integrity is to be vigilant of such situations, and when you spot them, try as hard as you can to not give into temptation. So it’s a conscious effort of sticking to a certain path, because you believe in it. That is how the individuals who have integrity manage to do it.

3. Give More Than You Have To

In any situation, when you give someone more than you have to, it demonstrates that you care about them, and your own wellbeing is not your sole concern. And this is a great way to gain trust and make yourself more likeable, which strengthens the relationship with that person.

In your job or business, this principle can be applied in various ways. You can help your colleagues even when it’s not your duty, or you can get involved pro bono in extra projects. You can give your clients more than they paid for or you can offer some free products to prospects, which gives them a chance to sample your work.

One way or another, what you give returns to you, because it creates good relationships that you can then leverage.

4. Always Seek to Be Constructive

In a business setting, the most appreciated person is the one who tries to move things forward. Their priority is not to make themselves look good, to disrupt other people’s reputation or to save face when things go wrong. It is to find solutions, take action and make things go right.

This is the kind of person you know you can count on: the kind of person who turns distress into opportunity, who finds win-win solutions and gets people pulling together for a common goal.

How can you be such a person? By making results and solutions your main mental focus, above all else. It’s an exercise in focusing on what truly matters. And the more you do it, the better you get at it. And the better you get, the more those you work with appreciate you more and wanna work with you more.

Better work relationships don’t develop overnight. They require patience and careful nurturing. But as your relationships improve, your career develops exponentially. If your work relationships would be just 10% better than they are right now, your career would likely be a whole lot better.

Keep this in mind and put the strategies discussed here into practice. The results will not disappoint you.

About the Guest Author

Eduard Ezeanu teaches others how to talk to people in any social setting and connect with them, thus building quality relationships they can leverage both in their career and their personal life. He also shares practical advice on his blog, People Skills Decoded.

Editor’s Note

I enjoyed reading Eduard’s tips in his article. What he said makes sense. If our work relationships can improve by even a mere 10%, our life will be a lot better!!

It all goes back to love. If you make love your center, you end up attracting relationships that are loving. Your clients, business partners and colleagues love you. Everyone wants to hire you or do business with you. It is a sure way to wealth!

Love and abundance always,

Editor. Life Vision Coach.

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