Two important relationships you need at work to be successful
Allow me to encourage you to do something that is usually…discouraged.
Yep, let me invite you to get…selfish. With your relationships at work, that is.
For very good reasons that will benefit you and others, I urge you to pursue “cup-filling” relationships. Profitable ones. Relationships that benefit you and others in ways that you only ever wished were possible.
If you’ve been in your career for any amount of time, you can easily find examples of when and how you’ve needed a connection - a relationship - in order to make progress. We need relationships at work for many good reasons:
Visibility - so that our work gets seen, acknowledged and valued by others
Accessibility - we need insight through others on what’s actually possible for us in our careers or business.
Camaraderie - hello, we need friends at work! Employee satisfaction increases nearly 50% when people develop a close relationship with someone on the job.
Guidance - there’s always someone who’s been places before we have; we need their guidance on how best to proceed and win!
Social influence - more than 70% of all jobs are never posted publicly and a large percentage are filled through a professional connection - someone with influence recommends us
Financial gain - being at the right table at the right time with the right people often opens doors to large financial gains
Personal wellness, and so much more.
I'm where I am today because people have opened doors for me, and I'm committed to opening doors for others as well.
Relationships at work really are transformative.
They change who we are, what we can do and where we can go.
That is worth everything when we’re working hard to become who we are intended to truly be.
In my workshop, Rewarding Relationships, I walk teams through 5 key relationships that everyone needs in order to hit their goals, and how to intentionally cultivate them. Here’s two of them to consider building now:
The first is: A CONFIDANTE.
This is the person with whom you can laugh, cry, gossip, golf, brainstorm…whatever! They are your professional bestie and they play a deeply important role in relieving stress and increasing our productivity and engagement at work. A confidante holds us to our values and reminds us who we are when the road gets rough.
Personally, I can say: having a confidante at work has directly contributed to my ability to ask for a raise, say yes to new roles with greater opportunities, and to weather some of the hardest days of my career. I’ve literally earned hundreds of thousands of dollars more in my career because of the help of confidantes.
The second relationship to build right now is with A MENTOR - someone whose professional guidance you trust and respect.
Mentors guide us through our challenges.
They respectfully push us beyond our comfort zone - and that is where growth happens. We all need that.
To cultivate this kind of relationship, though, there’s something very important we need to be able to do, and that is: ask for help. This is how mentoring most often begins, and - with time and trust - evolves into a more formal relationship.
Relationships are really like bank accounts. I’ve literally earned hundreds of thousands of dollars more in my career because of the relationships I’ve built and nurtured. Invest in others and watch how they invest back into you and your success. It’s a win-win for everyone. No one does it alone.
How much would you or your team benefit from cultivating the right kinds of relationships with each other and within your professional community? Bring our Rewarding Relationships workshop to your next team retreat or team development session. Our clients say it’s one of the most impressive and impactful experiences they’ve had with each other. Book a team workshop consultation call today and let’s get you and your team achieving more through powerful and rewarding relationships.
