All About the Professional Relationships
Professional Relationships At Work Organization, corporate, company or business, all have one thing in common – teamwork and work relationships. Without work relationships, there is no pillar on which an institution can stand. Even for those businesses run by single proprietors or owners, their relationship with dealers and customers becomes crucial for their success. Without a group of people who dedicate their talent and skills to the development of an organization, there will be no progress or success.
“Nothing is perfect. Life is messy. Relationships are complex. Outcomes are uncertain. People are irrational” said Hugh Mackay.
This is relevant to both personal and builds professional relationships. We are very familiar with our personal relationships, though we do struggle to understand them.
On another hand, there is a lot more confusion about the relationships we have with our colleagues. Not many of us are even aware of the build professional relationships examples we share in our workplace or their importance in our lives.
When we hear the word relationship, often we end up visualizing a boy and girl madly in love with each other. If we prod our mind a bit more, we see the relationship between parents and children, husband and wife, siblings or best friends.
I am not sure where we rank to build professional relationships examples in our lives, because not many pay much attention to it. It is surprising, or shocking to be precise since we spend nearly half of our adult lives with our co-workers/colleagues.
A meaningful and strong relationship at the workplace leads to better output, enhancing the personal productivity of the employees. When the organization maintains good relationships with its customers, it helps in building the brand name and increases sales.
Employees who have a good work relationship exhibit high morale escalated work engagement and increased satisfaction at work.
Somehow, a professional relationship is often taken for granted and ignored by us throughout our careers. We have our own set of freedom and also the commitment to a personal relationship.
We let our hearts rule our minds in our personal relationships, but professional relationships should be handled with care.
In our personal relationships, it is hurt, pain or breakup that we have to worry about, whereas in the professional relationship we need to observe a set of rules, establish boundaries and set limits that are ethical by the corporate standards, to avoid legal and career damages.
Often we land in our build professional relationships without having much choice, but we can ensure that we make good lemonades even if we get lemons. With a bit of effort from your side, you can sure build good and meaningful professional relationships examples in your workplace.
Let us check out what are the basic requirements for building meaningful professional relationships meaning in our workplace.
Respect in Professional Relationships Meaning
Respect is a simple and short word that goes a long way in building meaningful relationships. You need to understand that the fear of superiors which makes you respect them is not really respect, but conditional training. Real respect is valuing your colleagues and honestly appreciating their presence in your organization.
The first step towards good build professional relationships should be building respect for subordinates, co-workers, yourself and your superiors in their respective ways.
Never ignore your self-respect in the process of trying to be nice to others. Like Malcolm X, the human rights activist said, ‘Be peaceful, be courteous, obey the law, respect everyone; but if someone puts his hand on you, send him to the cemetery’.
I wouldn’t say we need to take extreme steps, but let us not forget to stand up for ourselves in our organizations, because if we don’t, no one else will ever do it for us.
Appreciate, encourage, motivate and give positive affirmations to your co-workers whenever you can. Let them know how much value and respect the work they do.
Trust and respect play very important in building and maintaining a relationship. Give them the right attention they require.
Communication
Here we need to understand that effective communication is not just fluent speaking, but also involves good body language, attentive listening, and observation. We also need to improve our phone etiquettes and email writing skills.
Communication is an integral part of any relationship. In the workplace, we need to be clear, specific, informative and honest in our communication.
Do not create confusion in your co-worker’s mind about the message being conveyed. Make sure you are understood by paraphrasing your sentences when required.
Do not assume that your co-workers have understood the message you are trying to convey, but make sure they do. And moreover, keep it short and simple (KISS).
Using words that others may have trouble understanding, sending lengthy emails, not following safe timings for making calls can damage your work relationship. Avoid them as much as possible.
Keep your voice pleasant and soft. It is not what you say, but how you say it that makes the difference. If your co-worker is talking to you, do not keep jotting in your diary, looking at your watch, check your phone or keep looking around the office. Give them your undivided attention and listen.
Privacy
- Respect your co-worker’s right to privacy and make sure that they show the same courtesy to you. Do not mix up professional life with personal issues. Give space to your colleagues to maintain their privacy, while protecting your own.
- Do not listen to personal phone calls, check into your colleague’s emails if they have forgotten to log out, bcc emails to others when the matter is the private conversation between you and your co-worker or peek over their shoulders to see what they are looking at. Though not many people realize, it makes others feel very uncomfortable.
- Do not lean on tables, sit to close or touch anyone inappropriately. Know about the personal space which is not to be entered. Be alert for clues and signs that your co-worker is not finding your presence comfortable so that you can leave them alone.
- Do not lurk around offices or cubicles when you are waiting for someone. It makes everyone around very uncomfortable. Either come back later to meet the busy person or take your seat at a safe and comfortable distance.
- Do not talk to people in the restroom, even if the matter is very important. Handover files or information in a proper office setup, rather than in the canteen, smoker’s area, lounge or parking lot. If you run into your co-worker at a party, movie theatre or supermarket, don’t start talking work. It is better to say ‘HI’ exchange some pleasantries and walk away.
- Make sure your personal problems do not affect your work. When you have emotional issues to be discussed, find a good friend or professional counselor to deal with them. Sharing them in the workplace may not work in our favor more often than not.
- Do not stalk your co-workers on social media. If they want to connect with you, go ahead if you are comfortable, or politely refuse if you don’t want to show them your personal side. Know that you show your professional side to your colleagues, which may not be the same on your social media where you put the very intimate stories of your life.
Help
Be willing to give and receive help when required. Work overload can lead to conflicts and frustration in the workplace. Sharing the burden of those who are having a tough time, will create goodwill among your co-workers.
Self-help is the best help you can get. But there are times when you may not find the required information or understand a mechanism even after putting a lot of effort.
There is no harm in seeking help from a senior colleague or someone who understands the topic better in such situations. Do not allow your ego to hold you back from approaching others for help and guidance.
Asking for help or lending a hand to those who need it, breaks the ice and creates a much friendly environment for workers and nurtures the healthy relationship.
An office with a well-oiled support system will have lesser blame games, passing the buck or conflicts. It gives an opportunity for teams to develop a good and healthy relationship with each other.
How To Build Professional Relationships Conflict Resolution
Every relationship hits the rough patch once in a while, and this may happen in your workplace as well. It is not only important to build healthy relationships, but also important that you mend and maintain them even during tough times.
Learn how to cope with conflicts, gossips, rumors, and emotional disturbance in your workplace, because there is no escape from them. The most important rule to follow is to allow things to cool down before you handle them.
Do not respond when you feel a surge of emotions going through your mind. Patience and emotional stability will play a very crucial role in conflict resolution.
If there is a misunderstanding, bring it up openly and discuss rather than fretting and fuming over it on your own. You can meet up with your colleague over a coffee for the purpose.
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Do not beat around the bush, but tackle the topic head-on and clear it. You will observe that your relationship with a co-worker becomes stronger after you resolve a conflict effectively than it was ever before.
Greet and Wish
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Never forget to wish or greet your co-workers when you run across them. A smile goes miles in building healthy and happy relationships, besides few ‘HI’s and ‘hello’s thrown in will make them stronger and long-lasting. Greetings convey a message to other people that they mean something to you and you notice them.
Make use of the golden words like please, thank you, you are welcome etc., whenever it is appropriate. Give a pat on the back or a warm handshake to build rapport, provide moral support or show friendliness. Make eye contact when you are talking to someone.
Nothing spoils a relationship like a standoffish behavior. Loosen up and tickle that funny bone in your body.
Remember important events like birthdays, promotions, weddings, winning recognition for their work or an important event to wish and congratulate them.
Similarly, make sure that you remember the names of your co-workers since it means a lot to people. Always refer to people respectfully with their names rather than their designations.
Time is valuable
We must use time wisely and forever realize that the time is always ripe to do right, said Nelson Mandela. The best thing you can give anyone is your attention and time.
At the same time, also make sure that you do not steal your co-workers valuable time against their wishes. Monopolization of time takes place when two co-workers become very friendly and start sharing personal issues with each other.
You may have come across people who are so excited about their child’s admission to the school, their new romantic interest, dad’s pending surgery, their upcoming tour or their own achievement that they forget that others may not be as much excited about it.
When they go on about it for hours and hours, others feel that they are being robbed of their time which could be used fruitfully to achieve something.
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Make sure that you do not bore your colleagues with your own personal stories. They may start avoiding you in the future. Also, know when to stop others from stealing your precious time politely. When you value the time it becomes easy for you to maintain meaningful relationships in the workplace.
How To Build Professional Relationships Manage Boundaries
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It is highly important that you manage your limits and boundaries in your how to build professional relationships meaning. Be assertive with your own boundaries, so that there is no doubt about your intentions left in the other person’s mind. Remember, you can be friends with your co-workers, but it is not wise to be best buddies.
Maintain a balance between under involvement or over-involvement with your co-workers. Build right rapport and trust with your colleagues for the healthy work environment, but never cross the limit which will make your professional relationship blur.
When you respect your boundaries and stand up for them, others will follow. You can take up the responsibility of teaching your co-workers how to treat you.
In a professional relationship knowing what not to do is as important as knowing what to do. Crossing the line of safety limits may not only get you fired but may jeopardize your career forever.
The above tips should help you in building a meaningful and cohesive professional relationship in your workplace. There is no universal rule for any relationships since, everything depends on the individuality, perception, attitude, and personality of the people involved, but some rules like the above-mentioned ones apply to most of us.
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Muhammad Lawal Suleiman says
Very informative and educative