Relationships are important to us. Relationships give us a sense of community that fills our life with comfort and safety.
However, most of our relationships do not fulfill us. These relationships lack strength because they are superficial. They lack the depth to give us anything more than short-term satisfaction.
The importance of building deep relationships is crucial, not just life but work. Most of us spend a considerable part of our days with our coworkers.
If we can build trust, depth, and strength in our work relationships, we can make our work lives more meaningful. Here is why we should put more importance on building relationships.
Why Is Building Relationships Important
Human beings have a deep and innate need to connect for support, meaning, and friendship. With the help of technology, people are more accessible than ever before. But for some reason, we are feeling lonelier than ever before.
Our lives have become busier. Work demands us to become more productive. Most of us spend time in the office, in the field, or working remotely for most of our day.
Relationships allow you to connect with other people. You are better able to empathize with people when you have a deeper relationship with them. Relationships give you support when you are going through periods of your life that are difficult. Relationships keep you grounded when your life is going strong.
Promoting the right relationships in your life and work can help you align in goals and values. It encourages collaboration and acknowledgment of each others' success. It builds support and communication to increase the depth and strength of the relationship. Next, we will dive into strategies to build strong positive relationships.
How Do I Build Deeper Relationships
1. Spend Time With Coworkers
Most of us don't spend that much time with our coworkers outside of work. We tend to see a job as a paycheck. However, a workplace is a community, whether you like it or not. On certain days, you will see your coworkers more than your family.
Spending time with coworkers allow you to build trust. Time will enable people to get to know you and trust you. If your coworkers trust you, it allows you to build a deeper relationship with them.
2. Share Common Interests That Matter
A relationship becomes stronger when two people have similar interests and beliefs. Shared values, interests, and ideas help create a secure emotional connection between people.
Most people keep conversations reasonably shallow. They talk about the weather, TV shows, or celebrity gossip. But most people don't talk about the ups and downs of life that are happening to them.
Avoiding significant topics forces a relationship to remain shallow. It doesn't give people a chance to know who you are. If you are willing to share some common ground with your coworkers, they will instantly feel more connected to you.
3. Be Willing to Be Vulnerable
People want to appear perfect at work. You most likely avoid talking about failures, shortcomings, and embarrassing events to preserve your image. Avoiding uncomfortable topics creates a facade that hides the fact that you are human.
When you hide your shortcomings and failures, people are not able to identify with you. You are more of a still image than a real person. The facade makes it hard for people to connect with you.
People cannot relate to celebrities who are too perfect. People can only connect to others who struggle like them. You should allow yourself to be vulnerable and show that you are human in the right moments. Being vulnerable will enable people to connect with you.
4. Be Trustworthy
Strive to be a person who is trustworthy and credible at work. When your words, your thoughts, and your actions align with honesty, you have real integrity.
When you are trustworthy, people know they can lean on you. They know that you will keep your promises. They know that you will give them constructive feedback, no matter how hard it is sometimes.
Trust is the foundation of a deep relationship. If you lose it, it will be tough to regain it. Learn to be honest, even when it's hard. Be conscious of your words, and be willing to follow through on your promises.
5. Go the Extra Mile
Be willing to go the extra mile to show that you care about people at work. Support people through difficult times. Be prepared to provide active listening or actual assistance to help them overcome their obstacles.
Be conscious of your time and abilities. You do not have infinite resources. But if you have a circle of people that you can be there for, try your best to support them in any capacity that you can. Your support makes a universe of difference in building better relationships.
Final Words
Relationship building at work is not simple. It takes a lot of time and emotional intelligence to building and maintaining positive relationships. Start paying attention to the nonverbal communication that your coworkers are sending. Analyze:
- Is company culture strong?
- Do your coworkers have a healthy relationship with each other?
Then schedule a time to build positive professional relationships with the team. Let people know that you care about them by taking the time to listen to their problems. Learn to empathize with people. Be willing to share common interests at work or beyond. Finally, be willing to take the extra mile to help each other out. If you abide by these tips for building strong professional relationships, you will find your work-life becoming significantly more meaningful.