In a world where online friends can be added or dropped with a click, real friends and real relationships are more important than ever.
I would even venture to say that the quality of your life and work is determined by the quality of your relationships.
I know I'm not saying anything new. We all know relationships are important. Yet when I ask audiences, “Who needs to invest more in their relationships,” most people raise their hand.
That's why one of the most important questions you can ask yourself is: What can I do today to strengthen my relationships at work and home?
In my book "Soup" I wrote about the importance of creating engaged relationships that are interactive, meaningful, rewarding and essential for winning teams and families.
Creating engaged relationships starts with great communication. Too many relationships and teams fall apart because of poor communication. Great communication builds the trust that every relationship needs to thrive.
Trust is then enhanced when people know you care about them and you are looking out for their interest as much as your own. The minute someone thinks you are out for yourself rather than them, their internal alarm goes off, trust waivers and the relationship deteriorates.
In many work environments trust is weak because people work in isolated areas, team members know very little about each other and relationships have never been fostered. People don't look out for one another because they don't really know one another.
You see, trust not only strengthens relationships but relationships help build trust.
Relationships and trust can be strengthened simply by spending quality time together.
I've seen this in my own relationships after writing Soup and realizing I needed to spend more quality time with my wife and kids. Helping my wife do laundry helps too :)
I've also heard amazing stories of companies and schools that, after reading Soup, started eating soup together once a week/month and developed stronger relationships and better teamwork in the process. Just by eating and talking together teamwork has improved dramatically.
It’s simple, really. Communication, trust and engaged relationships generate the commitment that fosters great teamwork and leads to enhanced performance and results.
Creating engaged and winning relationships take more time and effort but the payoff is priceless.
