Having authentic relationships at work is a crucial step to finding success. When you feel valued, accepted, and uplifted at work, your job becomes more rewarding and less stressful. You’ll learn more, be more productive, and you’ll even be more likely to remain with that organization for a long period of time. If you don’t trust your coworkers and they don’t trust you, you won’t be able to make it to the top! Here are seven ways to establish quality connections in the workplace.
Be present
Mindfulness is important when you’re trying to establish interpersonal relationships. It’s easy to be distracted—by our work, our personal lives, our cellphones, even by current events—but pay attention during interactions with your co-workers. Take an extra moment to listen to concerns and advice of those around you. Make people feel important and appreciated. And sometimes their words might benefit your productivity or quality of work.
Be sincere
People can always tell when someone’s being fake or insincere, so be authentic. If you force a false compliment or smile, people will sense it, suspicious of your true intentions. So be honest and positive. Affirm what people say, show empathy, and try to understand situations through the eyes of another person.
Listen
Communication demands effective listening. When you truly listen, instead of zoning out waiting for our turn to speak, you might find that the other person’s words are more important than mindless chatter. To make the other person feel validated and respected, paraphrase what the person has just said. Try to summarize the corrective feedback you get from a supervisor. They want you to improve, so it’s important that you’ve understood.
Develop trust 
Show that you trust and respect your coworkers by asking for advice, delegating tasks to them, and sharing resources. Start sharing on a personal level and eventually, people will be sharing constructive business ideas as well. It’s hard to grow and innovate if you can’t work together!
Be energetic
Be upbeat, responsive, and engaged in your interactions. Your energy and enthusiasm are contagious, so initiate conversations to open the flow of dialogue and ideas. Start with personal exchanges and transform them into rich, meaningful interactions that will boost your productivity and maybe even help to advance your career.
For more information on how to be prepared for the next step in your career, check out our website at https://www.chiefofstaffkc.com/job-seekers/.
Blog written by Erin Greenhalgh