The Importance of Relationship Building

By: Jalori McKay

There are two people in life: people who do their job and go home and people who want to move up in their career by building relationships.

Relationships can be defined as the way two or more people are associated with one another. In order to build a relationship, whether it be romantic or professional, it’s important to do these three things:

Make People Feel Appreciated

This is an act of kindness that will never go out of style. I’m in the midst of reading “How to Win Friends and Influence People” by Dale Carnegie and one thing that stood out to me in his teachings was that he emphasized the importance of being a good listener. Active listening often requires a way to participate in the conversation by replying accordingly, and asking thought provoking questions, then summarizing it all and repeating the person’s dilemma back to them to show that you are fully engaged in the conversation.
Another way to make a person feel appreciated is by always giving them words of encouragement. Sometimes people can be their worst enemy by letting self-doubt get the best of them.

Remember to always emphasize the positive. Last, and the most simple — saying thank you. You are showing gratitude for others kind gestures towards you. By simply being grateful, you are perpetuating the kind gestures of the other person in which they will want to continue to perform these kind gestures for you because you are indeed, grateful.

Build Trust

Building trust is an important factor of relationships. For if you have no trust, you have no relationship. By holding good on your word, you show that you are keeping your promises and taking responsibility. Not biting off more than you can chew when it comes to projects or favors, shows a level of maturity and awareness. If in the rare circumstance you find yourself in over your head, it’s best to be transparent. The level of honesty regardless of result, will show that you have integrity and that will outweigh any setback that you’ve come across.

Create mutually beneficial outcomes

No one wants to be in a one-sided relationship where there is only one person reaping the benefits! Literally, like no one ever says that! It’s important to help find solutions; not just simply identify problems. Many people can state problems. Be the person who helps solve them otherwise, you’re just becoming a negative Nancy, sis! Not a good look.

By sharing credit for accomplishments it showcases a joint effort which is beneficial in more ways than one. By exemplifying teamwork skills, you then open the door to receive more joint effort projects. The more accomplishments you can list on your resume, the more valuable you will appear to be.

Doing these three things you can create influence in your office, personal, and romantic life. The above characteristics show that you are a likable person, you are respectful, and that you are able to work with others to get the job done. Accomplishing all of this in such a manner absolutely makes a person stand out from the crowd. I’m not saying that you should be bait, but in a world full of sharks it’s quite refreshing to work with people who genuinely care, who are respectful, and who are generally agreeable people. It is a well-known fact that people have to respect their bosses but people truly admire their leaders. If you wish to move up in your career, gaining admiration by showing genuine appreciation, building trust, and creating mutually beneficial outcomes will help you to accomplish your goals of building long lasting and reliable relationships as well as stand out as a leader.

To read more from Jalori Check out her IG: @the_secretarian