Opening Doors to Great Relationships

If relationships run the world, how do some people seem to build instant rapport with almost everyone they come across, while others are left with a network of one?  I pride myself on having great relationships and, over the years, I have built a large network of people that I can trust and rely on work.  But if you think, like I once did, that some colleagues are easier to get along with than others, you may find value in reading this blog post.

For me, it seemed easier to engage and build relationships with people that I understood and related to versus others who seemed inaccessible or incompatible.  Insincerity can be spotted from a mile away so having a genuine appreciation of others was and still is imperative.

In order to expand my professional network, I focused on my emotional intelligence, managed my boundaries and avoided gossiping.  Through some painful experiences, I found that failing at any of these three items can quickly kill relationships.  I found that by concentrating on small snippets of active listening, being positive and paying sincere attention to people, great relationships started to flourish for me, even in unexpected places.

Life has taught me that it is important to identify the people I need prior to needing them.  I have learned these basic principles in creating a good working relationship:  trust, mutual respect, mindfulness, welcoming diversity and open communication.

It was not easy in the beginning but like any good student, I worked at it and achieved those principles.

To learn more on how to how to reduce conflict and build better relationships, click here.

What are other ways you have used to build great relationships at work?