7 Effortless Ways to build Relationships at Work

We’ve all heard the phrase — it’s not what you know, it’s who you know and how well you know them. Ironically, most of us dedicate our time towards building knowledge and very few of us work towards building social relationships. Job demands and personal commitments may not permit enough time for nurturing relationships at work.

I stumbled across an interesting article ‘7 Effortless ways to develop work allies’ by Gorick Ng, the Author of The Unspoken Rules: Secrets to Starting Your Career Off Right. The article talks about simple techniques that we can utilize at the workplace or in our networking circles to build relationships in a much better way:

Praise publicly

• Praising a colleague for his /her achievements in public not only boost self-esteem, but it also demonstrates to others what is desired of them.
• A few courteous lines make people feel good about themselves. Though they may outrightly deny the need for it, people internally appreciate it.

Correct privately

• Publicly reprimanding can breed resentment and damage morale of not only the person being criticized but also for those listening.
• There is a drastic difference between criticism and feedback. While criticism focuses on past mistakes, feedback focuses on future improvements.
• Calling attention to a misdoing in a subtle but effective way shows you genuinely care and are not merely seizing an opportunity to belittle someone.

Help discretely

• When you find someone struggling to answer or falling short of reply, you can prompt a hint or provide a suggestion with gestures.
• The person will fondly remember the help you provided and may respond with help when you are stuck.

Share intelligence

• Ongoing learning is a part of today’s work culture. Whenever you learn something new, pass the knowledge to a coworker who might benefit from knowing.
• Forward the learning material with a FYI. There’s a good chance that the new knowledge is beneficial, and the co-worker will appreciate you for that.

Amplify comments

• Whenever someone passes a good comment or expresses a brilliant idea, applaud them for their thoughtfulness by saying ‘thanks for this or loved this idea’. In this way you show your readiness to build others up.

Broker introductions

• When you meet someone, who can potentially benefit from a lead connection in your network, check their availability and get them introduced.
• You have helped the person benefit from the conversation and to further their goals. You also get positioned as an influential connector within your network.

Express gratitude

• The virtue of being thankful makes us more positive. This attracts more friends leading to better relationships and wider circles.
• A grateful disposition makes others feel happy by highlighting their good deeds and increases the chances of others wanting to help you again.

I believe developing professional relationships is not a tedious task that demands a chunk of time on your calendar. It’s nothing more than being helpful, grateful and rejoicing in others’ success. If you regularize these simple habits, you will notice that people reciprocate in much better way paving way for more powerful connections.