A healthy and professional relationship at work leads to positive teams
and teamwork at the workplace. Building trusting and authentic relationships
does not happen instantaneously. It requires continuous nurturing and takes
time. To achieve professional and personal goals few practices are inevitable.
When authentic relationships are built, the members in the team express
themselves freely and do not hold back. The overall confidence in the team is
high and it gives a feeling of “Psychological safety”
which is a part of high performing teams. It is very important to feel safe in
the company of the team and not feel ridiculed or let down in any way. Do not
ever feel guilty and do not judge yourself. Here are few practices that we are
going in the right direction.
To build authentic connection,
1. Listen carefully
We only hear what we want to hear. Most of the time, we focus on what to
reply when a person is sharing valuable insights. When co-workers share
something of value, we need to put our judgements aside and just focus on what
is being shared. This will make the co-worker feel important to his needs. When
you are not in tune or in harmony with the topic that is being discussed, just
agree to disagree.Sometimes people are very transparent and direct anger openly. At such
times it is important to accept the present situation. Telling a sorry does not
make you small if you are the cause of hurt or conflict.Listening is one of the most fundamental tools in communication and
thereby building relationships. Listening is an art that require lot of self-discipline.
Careful listening involves paying full attention to the person who is speaking
to you. Make the person feel comfortable by maintaining eye contact and also
give the person full freedom to express without interrupting in between. Be an
active listener. It is a skill that can be developed with practice and requires
patience. At work, listening is the key to effective working relationships between
teams, co-workers and management. Listening to aggrieved customers is like
solving half the problem. When customers give verbal feedback and when it is
heard, it plays an important role in improving the quality of product or
service. Always have an open mind and do not go on the defensive side
immediately, if you need to have continuous growth of the company. This helps
in building long standing connection with the customers and thereby customer
relationship is built which constructs free flowing customer loyalty.
2. Be clear of your intentions
Have clarity in your relationships, be it business wise or otherwise also.
When the intention is clear, it sets the tone of the relationship. Be clear in
communicating the same to the persons with whom you are working. One cannot be
always to nice to team mates even when they are not performing. State the
intent clearly saying that in this transaction or project, these are the
expectations to be met when we are working towards the finishing line. We
expect the team or the person with whom you are working to adhere to certain
set of do’s and don’ts. These are applicable to everyone in the team including
the one who is leading the team. Stick to these and whenever there is a
deviation, communicate it clearly that it will disturb the team and the process
and hence these deviations will not be entertained at work. Slowly everyone
will see the intention behind the whole exercise and will start implementing
it. With the intentions clear, trust building happens smoothly. Let go of
your fears to communicate and do not get overworked inwardly. Have a one-to-one
clear communication whenever there is a conflict of opinions. When the values
match that it is towards achieving the common goal then the energy flow
increases and things start moving in the right direction. When the team understands the purpose,
collective intention will become positive. One needs to know what you need from
the team and what the team needs from you. Work becomes enjoyable when
relationships are good.
3. Treat everyone equally
Do not indulge in office politics and gossip. It serves no purpose. Do
not encourage rumours. Sometimes, being
in a conversation might lead to people in the group talking about others.
Excuse yourself in a respectful way from that kind of conversations. Pull
yourself out from such talks politely. For some of them it may seem like harmless fun and refreshing to talk and
poke about other’s matters. Do not indulge in such activities. It is always
good to remember that in companies people keep changing in their designations.
It is wise not to air your personal views about people in a bad manner. Develop the attitude of putting yourself in their shoes. Then everyone
will start looking and sounding right. Treat everyone with the same respect and
cultivate being kind to others and to your own self. When you are being kind
with your own self, being kind to others will become a part of your nature. Being authentic to yourself helps in building a trusting relationship
with oneself and has a great impact on mental well-being. This also goes a long
way in building healthy relationships with people at work and with the goals as
well. Having authentic connections makes feel good connections from within and
also aids in building impacting relationships at work.
Comment below with your thoughts. Watch this
space for more insights on healthy mindset for self-leadership. Want to bring about the culture of progress, performance and productivity
for maximizing your profits, attend our Turning Point– Turn in and
Tune in workshop. Mail us at turningpoint@hasovan.com for more
details. Our team would be happy to get in touch. Catch the work-place
philosophy of various companies in the book “Erupt with Joy” by Savitha
Hosamane.
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