Relationship Building - 5 Tips and 5 Questions

And is isn't hard - it's more about focusing on people, who they are and what interests them. And that's just where you spend your time. About them - not you, not your business. Create partnerships.

5 tips

  • Be natural - by being yourself, you will build relationships with ease. Trust yourself - let yourself go. Be open, share your feelings, but mostly, listen to others.
  • Ask questions - you will find out more about others by listening to what they have to say, so be nosy, ask open questions, find out stuff. Then ask more about what they have been telling you.
  • Show integrity - by ensuring that others can trust you, by following through with promises and being discreet, people will be more open with you and that is the doorway to great relationships. Do what you say you will do.
  • Match - nothing helps build relationships by matching tone, volume of voice. By taking the same body posture. By paying attention to their eyes (whilst nor staring).
  • Have fun - nothing works better to build relationships than by having a foundation of a fun time together. So laugh, take time to 'play' and be informal. Take part.
5 Questions
  • What do you know about your people outside the business?
  • When was the last time you asked them about something important to them?
  • What percentage of your people do you speak to every day?
  • Who have you shared your hopes, fears, worries and excitements about your organisation with this week?
  • What three steps can you take to build relationships between you and your people - in the next three working days? There is no time like the present to start and to focus on Relationship Building. It is the basis of all you do when you manage others.

    Copyright 2005 Martin Haworth is a Business and Management Coach. He works worldwide, mainly by phone, with small business owners, managers and corporate leaders. He has hundreds of hints, tips and ideas at his website, http://www.coaching-businesses-to-success.com. (Note to editors. Feel free to use this article, wherever you think it might be of value - it would be good if you could include a live link)

    ...helping you, to help your people, to help your business grow...

    In The News:

    • pen paper and inkwell


    cat break through


    Building Bridges of Communication

    Building a 'bridge of understanding' between parties is... Read More

    Avoid These Seven Deadly Dangers Of Outsourcing

    Here are seven dangers of outsourcing your software development. They... Read More

    Six Honest Business Friends - They Guide Me In All I Do

    SIX "HONEST BUSINESS FRIENDS" - THEY GUIDE ME IN ALL... Read More

    Tales From the Corporate Frontlines: Team Dynamics and Communication

    This article relates to the Team Dynamics competency, which evaluates... Read More

    Tales from the Corporate Frontlines: Employee Ideas Achieve Work Life Balance

    This article relates to the Work/Life Balance competency, which investigates... Read More

    He Hate Me: Turning Their Bad Attitude Into Your Great Results

    "He Hate Me" was the nickname of Rod Smart, a... Read More

    How to Delegate More Effectively

    Do this simple excercise, and transform your life.First, Make a... Read More

    Boost Your Leadership Skills By Disciplining Yourself In The Way Of The Question Mark

    I'm often asked to come in to organizations and give... Read More

    Allan Kempert Discovers That Truly All You Gotta Do Is Ask

    A year or so ago, I met Allan Kempert. Allan... Read More

    Is Busyness Affecting Your Business?

    I'm too busy; I'd love to but I'm very busy;... Read More

    Create Your Methodology Based on a Standard Framework - Part One

    OK. So you have decided that your organization has to... Read More

    Bolster Credibility with Investors--Avoid These Phrases in Your Business Plan

    Remember Papa John's commercial on TV with the slogan "Better... Read More

    Are You in AWE of Your Employees?

    Employers have become so concerned about seeming "unfair" or worse... Read More

    Develop Your People and Make More Money

    What is the no. 1 asset in your business beside... Read More

    Performance Appraisals: Questions for Smarties and Dummies

    In numerous programs I've conducted on performance appraisals, with Human... Read More

    Marketing Miracle: Outsource Your Creative Services

    The current economy is causing most companies to tighten their... Read More

    3 Reasons Why CRM Strategies Fail

    Customer relationship management (CRM) is one of the most effective... Read More

    Nine Vital Lessons For Avoiding Training Fads That Waste Time, Money and Enthusiasm

    Unfortunately, at least two thirds of much of the training... Read More

    The 20/60/20 Rule Of Leadership. Dont Go Solving The Wrong Problems

    Several decades ago, a passenger jet approached a Florida airport... Read More

    Creativity and Innovation Management ? Idea Progression

    Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More

    Invoice Factoring for Goverment Vendors

    Assignment of Claims Act of 1986"....What does this mean for... Read More

    The Top 5 Signals That Your Business Is Running You

    Starting your own business is a great undertaking but running... Read More

    13 Comments on Bad Meetings

    Bad meetings are a cultural malady that senior executives pass... Read More

    5 Steps to Identify Core Processes

    Part Two of Creating Well-Defined Processes SeriesNext Week: ImplementationLast week,... Read More

    Business Knowledge Management

    In the last few years a lot has been written... Read More

    Blame Culture Blues - How the Language of Blame Manifests Organisational Underperformance

    If you have ever worked within a large organisation then... Read More

    New Job, New Culture: Do You Fit In?

    It seemed like a good decision at the time. A... Read More

    Understand What Flows Through Your Business to Find Improvement

    I remember once seeing a cartoon which showed two people... Read More

    Plans & Goal Setting - Kicking winning Goals

    Kicking Winning Business Goals The competition for business... Read More

    Organizational Culture, Creativity, Innovation

    It can be concluded with great certainty that certain organizational... Read More

    The DNA of Motivation

    It really is about motivation. After all, what impels someone... Read More

    Internal Control - The Why and How

    Many retailers do not have good internal controls in place... Read More

    Experiences of Management Coaching (Part 2)

    In our experience, we have found that there are several... Read More