Connections you make at work play a vital role in fostering a productive work environment and advancing your professional network. Your colleagues can turn into friends, making your workdays more enjoyable and potentially endorsing you for future roles. In this article, we’ll discuss how to nurture strong interpersonal relationships and make a positive impact on others.
What Does It Mean to Influence Others at Work?
At its core, influencing is about building strong relationships. Here are some simple and effective ways to begin forging meaningful connections with others in your workplace:
- Show genuine interest in others and appreciate their contributions.
- Generously offer positive feedback, encouragement, and support.
- Maintain clear communication with everyone, always being consistent and honest.
- Take the time to engage in enjoyable conversations and moments with others.
- Invest time and effort in lasting professional relationships; it will benefit you both in your current workplace and throughout your broader career.
The better your relationship with your colleagues, the more likely you are to collaborate effectively. Befriending coworkers typically makes team collaboration smoother, potentially enhancing your work efficiency. This can also improve the quality of your work, leading to better job assignments, resume highlights, or positive evaluations from employers.
Gaining Influence at Work through Building Relationships
Building influence at work through interpersonal relationships might call for some self-reflection and improvement. This often means understanding your actions and reactions, and considering others’ perspectives more. Here are some friendly ways to enhance relationships with coworkers and superiors.
1. Be Humble and Quick to Apologize
Acknowledging mistakes at work requires humility and can positively shape how you are viewed by peers and leaders. Moreover, this strategy can keep your productivity up as you move forward. If you mess up, like missing a team report deadline, promptly admit it, apologize to your boss and teammates, and submit as soon as possible. Owning up to errors can relieve tension that typically accompanies mistakes, showing your colleagues and employer your humility and willingness to grow.
2. Make Debates Constructive
A respectful discussion is one of the best methods to explore various potential solutions to shared problems. When conflicts or disagreements arise in the workplace, aim to amalgamate ideas from different angles, rather than seeking to have one idea triumph over others. If you find yourself at odds with a coworker or boss, strive to find common ground between you both. Even if your methods differ, identifying shared values or understanding you’re both trying to solve the same issue can be a great starting point. Focus your insights and contributions on collaborating to achieve the team or company’s objectives, ensuring you play your part in maintaining effective dialogue.
3. Praise Your Colleagues
Regularly lauding your colleagues for achievements, both inside and outside the workspace, shows you care. Constructive feedback is crucial, but lean more towards the positive than the critical. When criticism is needed, clarify its necessity to your peers. This tactic helps cement the idea that your colleagues aren’t competitors but teammates, where their success is yours too. Frequently praise in isolation, not as a buffer for upcoming criticisms (sometimes called a “praise sandwich”), ensuring your compliments feel genuine. Beyond big achievements, appreciate the little things your colleagues do or thank those who positively impact your work environment, like thanking someone for making coffee or acknowledging the janitorial staff for their efforts.
4. Get to Know Your Colleagues
Genuinely taking an interest in your colleagues’ lives can foster quick friendships that not only enhance work collaborations but also keep you connected if career paths diverge. Workdays offer numerous opportunities to learn about those around you. Stay professional, but get to know teammates on a personal level, perhaps asking about their families, hobbies, or career aspirations. With this knowledge, further demonstrate your interest by recalling and following up on what you’ve learned. This thoughtfulness can help foster closer bonds and strengthen relationships both in and outside the workplace.
5. Prioritize Team Building
Engaging in team-building activities, both within and outside the office, fosters a positive work environment and reinforces relationships. Consider organizing an outing during workdays that includes problem-solving and team collaboration exercises. Short ice-breaker activities at the beginning or end of weekly meetings can also help in cementing team bonds. For activities outside work, consider inviting colleagues for a game night, a lunch out, or a happy hour after work. Spending this time can give you deeper personal insights into teammates, leading to better work collaboration.
As your career progresses, focus on nurturing personal ties with coworkers to cultivate a more positive work environment and relationships that can enrich both your life and professional network.
