Harmony at work - A 5-step programme
Published:Wednesday | March 9, 2011 | 12:00 AM
The 1970s soul group The Stylistics encapsulated an eternal 'truth' in the six immortal words titling one of their hits: people make the world go round.
More than anything else, the quality of your relationships at work and in life determines your level of success, happiness, and influence.
That's the truth behind the cliché 'your network determines your net worth', by the way.
The more harmonious the relationships among staff members, the happier they are at work and the greater their motivation to work hard, please customers and grow the business.
Happy customers reward the company with undying loyalty and a steady stream of prequalified referrals. Leaders who cultivate great relationships with their subordinates make them want to give their best.
Despite this, however, few people take the time to seriously study what it takes to build and maintain excellent relationships with people at work and in their careers, generally.
You'll find the following five guidelines enormously helpful in this regard.
1. Treat people with respect and courtesy: Our positions at work vary, but at the core, we are all equal as human beings and are worthy of respect.
For instance, just because 'John Thomas' is a janitor and you have a big office and important-sounding title doesn't mean you shouldn't say 'Mr Thomas' or that you should treat him condescendingly.
Say good morning; call people by their names; look them in the eyes, and show interest in them.
2. Seek first to understand, then to be understood: This is the fifth of Dr Stephen Covey's seven habits of highly effective people in his similarly titled book.
Listen to others' points of view; don't just insist on talking.
Put yourself in other people's position before judging or reacting to them. They will then want to listen to and understand your point of view.
This approach fosters trust, openness and mutual understanding.
3. Express gratitude: Even though it is your subordinate's job to do the report, say thank you just the same. Say thanks to the security guard who opens the door for you rather than thinking it's her job. Express appreciation to the people who have supported you in your career, don't take them for granted.
4. Forgive: Reconciliation, rather than retaliation, is a fundamental principle of cultivating successful relationships. It is inevitable that people will hurt, misunderstand and offend you at work.
Practise giving up the resentment, however. Bridge the gap of disagreement and misunderstanding, rather than perpetuating the problem by a refusal to forgive and move on.
5. Exercise emotional intelligence: It's okay to write the most bellicose email to criticise, castigate and put your unfair boss in her place. But, here's what you do next: delete it or save it in draft; don't press 'send'.
Go ahead, too, and vilify your co-worker because you're upset with him; just do it in your mind, okay!
Always calm yourself before responding angrily, or your emotional outbursts may return to haunt you. Practise self-control whenever you're angry or you're likely to say something imprudent. Instead, say something humorous or be silent until you have regained your cool.
Glenford Smith is a motivational speaker and success strategist.