The Power of Professional Relationships
Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mustafakhayat/
A few years back, I read a book called The Trusted Advisor
It’s a simple, but powerful idea. In today’s post, I want to explore that idea a bit more and dig into how it might actually apply to junior engineers like you and I. By the end of this, I hope to show you that this principle absolutely does apply to folks like us, and that by understanding this fact puts us in an excellent spot to succeed at the office.
What Constitutes a Business Relationship?
I suppose that depends on what you do. The Trusted Advisor definitely had a client-consultant relationship in mind, but I think the principles apply just as well to co-worker-to-co-worker and manger-to-employee relationships as well. I think you’ve got a business relationship with anyone that you trade ideas, products, services, or money with. Another way to think about it is to think of your co-workers as sometimes being your clients (i.e. you need to deliver something to them for them to be able to do their thing), and sometimes as consultants (i.e. you need something from them).
Regardless of how you view it, it’s important to understand that you have real business relationships with these people, and you need to treat these relationships like… well, real relationships.
Does That Mean I Need to Be Friends With Everyone?
No, definitely not. You don’t even need to be friends with anyone at work. What it does mean, though, is that you should let your relationships with your friends inform the way you operate at the office. You need to treat people the way you’d want to be treated. You need to treat people with dignity and respect. You need to keep your cool when you’d much rather not. You don’t need to go celebrate your co-worker’s son’s 4th birthday (unless you want to, in which case, that’s cool too).
How Will This Help Me?
This is my favourite part. I think the power of relationships is really found in the fact that it’s not about you. It’s about the other person. Corporate culture is rampant with “Me” attitude. If you can be that one guy or gal who is genuine about how other people are doing, listening to what they have to say, and respecting them by virtue of the fact that they simply exist, that turns heads. People will take note. It’s amazing how kind and caring people can be in return when you act in a certain way. It’s also amazing how forgiving people can be if you’re late on an assignment if people feel they know and trust you.
If you stop worrying about yourself and put your energy into helping others, those others will take care of you. And guess what? There’s a lot more of them then there are of you.
Parting Thoughts
I like to think of the importance of relationships this way: your relationships in business, as well as in life, are the only things that will last in perpetuity. What do I mean by that? Think about everything you do at work. Maybe you’re a civil engineer designing bridges. I can guarantee that some day, maybe far into the future, every bridge you built in your career will come down. Your engineering work is ultimately temporary. Your effect on the lives of other people; however, will propagate throughout the rest of time.
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