Do you remember how easily you get befriended with someone during your childhood days? (Now, don’t get stuck in those best memories!!). Yes, all you required is a cricket match or a treat with someone and you were like best friends forever..!! But don’t you think as you grew up this spark and lively spirit of connecting with people has somehow got declined in you? Indeed, building a professional relationship is not similar to personal relationships but you need to know that it is still precious and valuable for your career, professional and overall development. As said by Porter Gale – “Your network is your net worth.”
Whether you are a newbie in the corporate sector or at a renowned position in any MNC or running a startup, having a strong professional network will always reward you with the growth and progression of your career. A professional relationship is a way through which you can connect and interact with the people of your industry (other industry as well!!), generate new ideas, discuss the loopholes in the system, offers or request referrals, and various other things. Here, in this article, we will let you know about these best 5 strategies to build better & worthwhile professional relationships that will surely help you in achieving your career goals.
1. Enhance your Communication Skills
This is the first and foremost aspect whenever we talk about building a professional relationship (or even personal ones). Communication does not only tends to talk with someone or listening to them but it is a way of expressing yourself effectively and understanding the other person’s concern as well. You should have an appropriate body language, empathy towards another person, positive thinking and talks, etc. for an effective and influential professional communication. Whenever you are interacting with a person in your professional network, you are recommended to not interrupt the other person in between and let them complete their statement or opinions first. Moreover, you must have to be confident while your interactions with others as it makes you appear as a professional and responsible person in front of others. Additionally, you should not bring up sensitive issues such as religion, politics, etc. unnecessarily during the interaction as it can have a negative impact on your professional relationship.
2. Get Socialized
Yes, it is needless to say that you have to be socialized to build a professional relationship. You can easily start the process by connecting with the people in your range or circle and then expand your network via getting referrals and through other resources. You can go to various business events such as conferences, seminars, meetups, etc. to meet and connect with new people. And yes, you need to identify those people who are really worthwhile and influential while making professional connections. Meanwhile, being social doesn’t actually convey you to step out of your house, though you can use various digital platforms as well such as LinkedIn, Meetup, etc. to connect with the people across the world. All you have to keep in mind is that for making better professional relationships you always have to look out for the opportunities and expand your network accordingly.
3. Value the Opinion of Others
If you’re trying to build better professional relationships, you must remember to respect the opinion of the other person and treat them in a similar way as you want to be treated. You should not pass any judgment unnecessarily during the discussions even if the other person’s statements are different from your point of view. Instead, let them know that you understand their opinion despite having diverse views on the same topic or issue. Indeed, when you appreciate and respect the opinion of the people, it not only encourages them to give more suggestions and advice but also creates a factor of trust and empathy in your professional relationship. In fact, don’t hesitate to reach out to your network if you are looking for any suggestions, feedback, or any piece of advice as apart from making your bond stronger this will also help you to get different ideas and perspectives for better exploration.
4. Keep in Touch with your Network
As your network starts to grow, the foremost thing you are required to do is keep the created network active and alive. To build better professional relationships you should communicate and connect with your network regularly and not only at the time of need. However, staying in touch with every individual in a professional network is quite a tough job but it is a must-to-do task to sustain the relationship. You can schedule meetups, conduct webinars, and conferences, etc. to connect and engage with your network. Also, you can update them with the changes in your professional life such as job promotion, job relocation, etc. Meanwhile, a little ignorance towards your network can not only affect your professional relationships but you may miss out on several career opportunities as well.
5. Be Valuable to Others
Not anyone would like to connect or build a professional relationship with a person who doesn’t seem to be a worthy and valuable connection. Yes, you are required to be relevant and admissible to your network for building a better professional relationship. This can be done by focusing on the enhancement of your skills as well as the others, having a helping attitude, etc. Meanwhile, if someone in your network is looking for a job change, you can give them the referrals or if someone is looking for the career advancements you can assist them to make them achieve their career goals. You need to understand that the professional relationships are not only about sharing of ideas, debates, and discussions, etc. but there should be a mutually beneficial bond also that can act as a helping hand whenever in need.
So, these are some major strategies that you must follow to build better and worthwhile professional relationships regardless of your career domain and position. Now, what are you waiting for? Get a move on, do your homework, meet the people, and build your professional relationships. And yes, these professional relationships will definitely pay you out with a lot more career opportunities.
