Building Relationships at Work

I received a written card from a co-worker last week thanking me for a small favor. What a pleasant surprise.  I'm pretty good about sending thanks via email or over the phone, but a hand-written note often conveys more meaning.  I'm going to follow my colleague's example and do that more often. 

Kindness and respect build relationships, and relationships make life, and work more enjoyable. Humans are by nature gregarious; we're looking for ways to connect, so it's often easier than we think to build relationship bridges at work.

• Smile.  If you walk around looking like an unapproachable grouch, people will naturally avoid you.
• Say please and thank you.  Basic manners never go out of style.
• Offer words of appreciation for a job well done.
• Give credit where credit is due.  (I work for a boss who is great about this, and we notice.) 
• Give small gifts.  I'm not a fan of gifts at expected times, (holiday's, etc.) etc. at work.  They are often given (and received) with little thought or appreciation.  But over the years I've received small tokens from friends and co-workers; "I saw this and thought of you" kinds of gifts. Those gifts touch me and make me feel appreciated, even though they are often worth little materially.  You probably have a few of those too, tucked away in a desk drawer, silly little things that you just can't bring yourself to throw away.  I bet they make you smile every time you see them.
• Be a teacher, share your knowledge.  Information hoarding is a sign of insecurity.  Besides, if you make yourself irreplaceable in your current position you can never be promoted to a better one.
• Look for the good in people.  You could accurately describe a rose as soft and beautiful or as difficult and thorny; it all depends on your focus. 
• Apply Mathew 7:12 (religious or not, you know this one) "All things therefore that you want men to do to you, you must likewise do to them." (NWT)  or the more familiar (King James) version "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."  Sound advice, even after two centuries.

Building walls is easy - we often don't realize we're doing it until we find ourselves isolated and out of "the loop."  Building relationships requires effort, but healthy relationships bring satisfaction, and dare I say it, even a bit of happiness, to our work day.   

Comments

[Vicki]

I just have to say . . . . being the actual boss that was referred to in the sentence regarding credit being given where it is due . . . . this boss can not take much "credit" for that. When you have someone like Rita working on your team, it is simply impossible to overlook her talent or the value of her contributions. I would also like to recommend a wonderful book that really put this in perspective for me when I first read it many, many years ago. The book is called "See You at the Top" by Zig Zigler. I dont know if it is still in print, but no matter what your profession, this book will help you to succeed in a way that is consistent with Matthew 7:12. To paraphrase Zig, you get what you want in life by helping others get what they want in life. Read the book; you won't regret it!

[JC Jones]

Yeah, that's sweet. And when Matthew doesn't work, you can travel back further in time to Master Sun-Tzu from The Art of War: Strike with Chaos
"Her victory is Flawless because it is inevitable: She vanquishes an already defeated enemy."

[Jeffrey]

great advice.

its amazing how the words of Jesus as recorded by St. Matthew in Chapter 7 Verse 12, can still prove so useful.

12 Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.

The rest of the chapter provides very good advice too!
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%207;&version=9;