Let’s build upon foundations of relationship to be effective in leadership, sales, and influence. By relationship I mean the quality, duration, and breadth of emotional connection with another.
Notice I said, emotional and not hierarchical or role-based. We may be another’s boss, vendor, client, employee, spouse, child, or any of a number of other roles. We can work awfully hard to lead, influence, and sell by getting good at knowing the dance steps in the dance between our roles and theirs.
Yet our emotional connections are far more powerful and bring desired results easily because they transcend roles. For example, think about the best boss you ever had. Best bosses care about us and we can tell. We are delighted to deliver for these best bosses. Not-so-great bosses fail to move us much because they rely on the rather weaker trappings of their role.
Of course, we may not be comfortable or know how to go about building positive, strong, emotional connections with certain people. So here’s a great place to start with everyone: respect them as peers, as fellow humans. Quietly cultivating a feeling of respect (or honor, care, appreciation, or love) for anyone we work with…even the tough ones…builds the proper foundations and sets us on a successful course.
In your corner,
Mike
PS: This is easy and fun to test. Pick someone with whom your current relationship is new, shaky, or even troubled. Quietly think a few good-feeling thoughts of appreciation or respect for that other person. Then watch what happens over the next 12-24 hours. You will likely notice your interactions with that person becoming effortlessly easier and more productive.
Today’s photo credit: Elliott Brown cc