More and more, what distinguishes the best leaders from the rest of the pack is successfully creating high-quality and personal relationships across many different people and pieces of the organization. In today’s fast-paced world of miles long to-do lists and gazillions of decisions that need to get made yesterday, we can easily lose sight of the fact that relationships are what make the world go around.
Want higher quality professional relationships? Take the time to really get to know your colleagues, especially about things that have nothing to do with work. Be willing to slow down, take a breath, remember that we all have a fundamental need for connection as human beings, and take a catalyzing role in creating and generating those connections in your organization. Take the time to do more than just say hello. Make a point of talking with people even when you don’t have a professional reason to reach out, and especially when you don’t need anything at all from them. Ask about their personal lives. Treat them like a friend. In short, show them that you really care, and (here’s the rub), even in the hectic world we all live in, you have to mean it.
