This post is sponsored by Corporate Traveller
Life is all about relationships, and it’s no different at work. As important as it is to put your head down and get on with the task at hand, it is equally important to build positive relationships with those around you. This includes your immediate team and also the wider business, as well as clients and competitors. One day they may be your colleague!
I like to treat everyone around me exactly the way I want to be treated: with kindness, professionalism and respect. In general, I tend to receive the same in return. Even if there’s someone you come across that you wouldn’t probably be friends with outside of work, it’s important to acknowledge where they come from and to wish them well. Any negative feelings you put out on the world or that are directed towards others, tend to come straight back onto you.
Ultimately, in business and in life, you have to be your own best friend but it’s important to make other friends along the way too.
Here’s some of the ways I like to develop relationships with others around me to cultivate a happier working life.
Ask people about their day, their weekends, or just themselves in general – and really listen
People will respond when they feel you are actually listening to what they have to say, and that you care about them as human beings and not just people that you work with. It’s so easy to just say, ‘how was your day?’ and they respond, ‘good thanks,’ and the conversation is over. This is all well and good if it’s just a passing colleague. However if it’s someone you work directly with, it’s so important to actually develop a rapport with them. Otherwise, how boring would the work day be, anyway?! This can be something as simple as talking to them about their upcoming holiday. Find some common ground that interests you both and have a little chat about that. You will remember each other fondly in future and won’t just be another name on an email or person on a seat.
Network outside of work hours
Not everyone has a lot of time for networking of course, and nor should we – we all have our own lives outside of work! However it’s important to catch up with people in a social setting once in a while; even if it’s bi-monthly. Particularly if it’s your close team; meeting outside of the work environment when everyone is relaxed can help with the relationship-building process and to cultivate real friendships. This builds mutual respect and genuine like for others. I believe that working with people you like is crucial to happiness in the workplace.
Maintain integrity, respect and trustworthiness
If someone tells you something and asks you not to spread it around, don’t spread it around. This is so important and let’s face it, karma can bite you back. Maintain the integrity that you would expect in return from your workplace and cultivate trust with your peers.
Step outside the square to take the relationship-building further and cultivate a positive environment
This could be offsite team-building days, where everyone gets together for an extended period of time during working hours to brainstorm, celebrate successes and plan for upcoming projects, or it could even be a trip. This little quiz developed by Corporate Traveller is a cute way to investigate the best team-building activity for your team.
How do you feel about networking and building rapport with your peers? How important is it?
