Once you get off of the schoolyard playground, building trust with other business professionals gets more and more difficult. No longer are you relying on being in the same class with others as a basis of becoming friends. Making friends and connections with others in a business relationship is a baseline of things you should be doing as an entrepreneur. Today we’re going to be looking at ways to build stronger professional relationships.
Dust up your communication skills
Improving your communication skills is an invaluable skill to learn as an entrepreneur, as it shows that you can talk to someone and actually understand the meaning behind what they’re saying. When you sit down and talk to someone, make sure you’re engaged when you speak to them. Ask questions when you’re talking to someone, as it shows that you’re listening to what they’re saying. Poor communication in the workplace can lead to
- Low morale
- Increased stress
- Failure to meet deadlines
Showing the people that you work with that you value what they’re saying, and the emotions behind what they’re talking about can be an enormous help to garnering a better relationship with your business partners.
Be kind
Not only does respecting others benefit the company as a whole, but it benefits you. If your workers feel disrespected, it ruins your relationship and also harms the work that they could do for you. This can come down to admitting where you were wrong and fixing it, showing your appreciation in the way that your workers would like to be treated. Don’t call attention to a worker who’d rather their praise be private. Be sure to show your appreciation consistently in the relationship, showing the people who work with you are valued members of the company.
Listen
This is probably one of the most important topics on this list: listening to others. When you speak to your colleagues, you may find that instead of listening to what they’re saying, you’re actually waiting for a lull in the conversation so that you can point out the next thing you were going to say—becoming more empathetic and listening to others ties into being more respectful. Treat others as you’d like to be treated. When you’re more willing to listen to others, they’re more than likely going to respect you and listen to you. Active listening is an integral tool to have in your toolbelt.
These are just a few of the many ways that you can build stronger professional relationships.