When the silence becomes overwhelming, why bother with human connections? Just turn on Netflix! Today’s virtual world makes it so easy to disregard relationships.
Wrong! Good relationships are still fundamental to our wellbeing.
A successful and satisfying professional life consists of healthy interactions. Good relationships require mindful intentions and actions. Don’t worry, they are absolutely worth the effort.
Healthy relationships make work more fun and productive, increase happiness and reduce stress. Even though each relationship is different, they essentially share these basic principles:
- Realistic expectations. Accept people as they are, healthy interactions are grounded in reality. People will be themselves, not what you wish they were.
- Communication. Be fully present when listening to what anyone is trying to tell you. Remove as many judgments and filters as possible to fully understand their perspective. Try to show interest and share information.
- Flexibility. Allow growth and evolution, don’t tag any relationship from the start, just let it flow and let it to reach its potential.
- Reliability. Be honest and stand by your word. If you take on a task, follow through. Align what you say with what you do.
- Respect. Always treat your colleagues with respect and find considerate ways to approach any disagreement. Negotiations are healthier than arguments.
- Repair. Nobody is perfect. Acknowledge your faults and sincerely apologize if necessary. If someone has wronged you, let them know and allow them to acknowledge and repair.
Teams perform at their best in a psychologically safe environment because positive emotions foster cooperative relationships. Approach your collaborators with these virtues in mind:
- Be human. Every interaction happens between two emotionally complex beings. Recognize that each of us is much more than our role in the company. When you strip us of our title, we are all equal. Everyone has beliefs, hopes and vulnerabilities; and is hoping to feel understood, respected and appreciated, just like you.
- Be supportive. When working as a team, the goal is to accomplish collective success. When someone’s idea sounds good to you, speak up in favor and join the effort. Joint confidence leads to great achievements and innovations.
- Be kind. If someone in your team is going through rough times, reach out and express sympathy. Understand if they need to take a step away from work and offer them your help. Empathy and compassion are two of the best human traits.
- Be grateful. Genuinely appreciate your teammates’ efforts. By expressing gratitude for someone’s contribution, you prompt further willingness to continue putting in the personal effort towards collective success. People become more engaged and productive when they know that their work matters.
Being mindful of work relationships leads to a more fulfilling career. The most rewarding outcomes of building bridges through trust, honesty and kindness are good camaraderie and peace of mind.
