Happy New Year professional colleagues! Thank God for bringing us thus far, with the promising Year 2010 already here. I am confident that we can all succeed provided we acknowledge that success is not an accident. It begins with a well conceived plan. Therefore, to succeed in any of our endeavours, we need to plan consciously. By not consciously planning to succeed, we are unconsciously planning to fail.
Our relationships with colleagues in the workplace are important, and can to a large extent determine the level of our success. Good workplace relationships will not only help you do your job better, but also make your daily work more enjoyable. In turn, bad relationships with colleagues can be very distracting and can cause a great deal of anxiety.
The following ten tips, if practised, will to help you to achieve good relationships with your colleagues in the work place:
1. Respect your colleagues: Respect is the foundation of all good relationships, including those you have with your colleagues and Boss. There will of course be the occasional prickly co-worker who is easily offended, but there is little you can do about that. Always do your best to avoid offending those with whom you work. Respect is reciprocal!
2. Take your job seriously: Regardless of your position, others in your workplace will respect and value their jobs. Consequently, if you undermine the role that you do, you are undermining their roles too. This is a sure-fire way to annoy your colleagues. Ensure that your colleagues understand that you know your job and are happy doing it.
3. Avoid borrowing: Avoid borrowing equipment from your colleagues – especially if you neglect to return it to them! If your job requires the regular use of particular office equipment, say a stapler or hole-punch, then make sure that you are supplied with your own.
4. Be dependable: Being dependable means you can be trusted and people can have confidence in you. Next time a colleague tells you something in good faith, keep it to yourself. There is nothing worse than a tell-tale.
5. Politeness: As the saying that goes; “If you lose money you have lost nothing, if you lose health you have lost something, but if you lose your character you have lost everything.” A good name is better than riches! Being polite can simply mean respectfully letting people know how you stand on a particular issue, whether positive or negative. Never promise anything you know you cannot do! It will rob on your character.
6. Never burn your bridges: Just as technology has made the entire world a global village, then sometimes you may find yourself working with colleagues that you have worked with before, so you should always try to maintain a good relationship with your colleagues, even if you know that the working relationship will be brief. This is the cream of building good relationships. Whatever you do in life, no matter your position, remember that the only constant thing in life is change.
7. Don’t get drunk and spill the beans at company social events: Impressions made at such events can ruin your work reputation. Conversely, it is a good idea to attend work social events, even if only for one hour, as a lot of networking and bonding happens at these events and you could miss out on it by not playing the game.
8. Don't Gossip: Be friendly and accommodating in the work place but don’t gossip! This is one of the little things that distinguishes you as a professional, so make sure that you are the professional you are trained to be.
9. Team Spirit: Whatever your job, if you work with others then you need to work as a team. Flow with your team members and don’t get left behind. If you manage others, then carry your team along. You should always try to avoid working in isolation.
10. Learn to be calm and collected: Learn to always exercise self control. Do not respond to situations nastily, regardless of the circumstances. By remaining professional and calm, you show that you have the maturity to handle awkward situations, which is a quality that people will admire in you. Being calm and collected is all about showing that you have got it together, (whether you actually do or not) and that is something that everyone wants.
See you at the top!