Building Meaningful Workplace Relationships
Work is, well, a lot of work. At least most believe this to be the case. Many of us will spend much of our adult lives active in the workforce. Do you build meaningful workplace relationships? Are there connections to relationships and your career?
One of the most important factors that affects your career are your workplace relationships. Some of them may be (appropriately) personal, others strictly business, and some are in between.
This is true internally within the organization and it is true externally with clients, customers, and stakeholders.
We have two main paths that form the relationships that we build, or the ones that we don’t.
Walls and Lines
The first may be to put up walls. Everyone is a jerk until he or she proves it to you that they are not. You look for what angers you, frightens you, or you use stereotypes to keep people at distance.
Taken one-step farther you may create challenges, obstacles, or draw a line and give warning that it should not be crossed.
You may discover that what you seek, you’ll find.
Inquire and Appreciate
A different approach may work better, what if you welcome relationships. Imagine if you seek to build them, ask for input, and inquire about thoughts that may be different from your own. Instead of building walls or creating obstacles, you invite ideas, different thinking, and new possibilities.
Imagine if the person isn’t old, isn’t young, male, or female. What if where they live, how they look, or where they went to school mattered less and the fact that they are just people who are invited to participate mattered more.
Again, you may discover that what you seek, you’ll find.
Meaningful Workplace Relationships
What you get from your job, your friends, and your life is largely based on your network. Size has some importance, but integrity and quality matter more.
Building meaningful workplace relationships can expand your opportunities, your intellect, and even your bank account.
There are times to choose sides, stick with the team, and work hard to beat the competition. In fact, is some regards they can be enduring qualities.
Just keep in mind that what you build will largely depend on what you seek.
– DEG
Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSPTM), and corporate trainer that specializes in helping businesses and individuals accelerate their leadership, their team, and their success. He is a five-time author and some of his work includes, #CustServ The Customer Service Culture, and Forgotten Respect, Navigating A Multigenerational Workforce. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.
