Developing your interpersonal skills is crucial to the success of any career plan. Your colleagues, managers, mentors and clients will help shape your career trajectory, so building strong, productive relationships should be a top priority.
Here are some tips to help you get started:
‘The most basic of all human needs is the need to understand and be understood.’Dr Ralph Nichols
We all want to feel listened to and understood. Being a good listener, or what Stephen Covey would call an empathic listener, will help you build strong relationships with the people around you.
Being an empathic listener means that you intentionally listen to what someone is saying, rather than simply waiting for your turn to speak.
Start being a better listener today with these tips:
Discover more ways to improve your listening skills
It’s tempting to say yes to every request that comes your way at work, especially when you’re trying to impress. But this can lead to you being overloaded with work. As your to do lists and stress levels increase, you’ll be less able to focus on relationship building and may even start to resent your colleagues and managers for the long hours you have to put in.
Managing your workload effectively will give you the time and space to maintain positive working relationships. And sometimes that will mean saying no.
Here’s how to say no assertively:
Learn how to say no with confidence
If you’ve received a complaint from a manager, client or colleague it can be difficult not to take it personally and react in kind. But this can often make the situation worse and damage working relationships further.
Dealing with the situation calmly and professionally will help prevent any lasting damage and can even be a way to impress those around you.
Here are some tips to help you deal with difficult situations:
Learn how to give difficult feedback
Developing your interpersonal skills will help you build the positive, productive relationships that will help you achieve your career goals. For more advice on improving your relationships, try our free online course; Emotional intelligence for success