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If you want to advance your career, be successful in sales, become an effective leader or have more friends and associates willing to help you out when needed, then I suggest you become a student on how to develop strong human relationships. The “Common Sense” I am talking about today will be focused on that one point.
I personally think it is just good common sense to be nice, positive and helpful, but I know people who are just the opposite. I think it is common sense to be open-minded, respectful, empathic, but I know people who aren’t.
Do you know someone who is unfriendly and hasn’t uttered an encouraging word to you as long as you have known them? Do you know people who are rude, impatient and mean? These are examples of people we have all encountered at some point in our life, but, in most cases, wish we hadn’t; we could do without them. Let that phrase sink in for a moment. If people would rather do without you, you are in for a difficult life. Building strong relationships is critical to your personal and business success. Years ago, I ran across an anonymous piece on how to develop strong relationships that was concise and easy to understand. Here are the major points they recommended with my “two-cents” thrown in occasionally.
Speak to people. There is nothing as nice as a cheerful greeting. Don’t walk down a hall in your office with your head down ignoring everyone; make an effort to say hello to folks as you pass by.
Smile at people. Why in the world would you ever want to share a frown; it turns people off and makes people NOT want to approach you. People hate being around negative people.
Call people by their name. It is the one word they are most familiar with and instantly relate to.
Be friendly and helpful. Who wouldn’t want to be around anyone who is friendly and helpful?
Be cordial. Speak and act as if everything you do is a pleasure.
Be genuinely interested in people. The more interested you become in them the more likable you will be to them.
Be generous with praise, cautious with criticism. The best thing to do behind a person’s back is pat it.
Be considerate of the feelings of others. There are usually three sides to a controversy – yours, theirs, and the correct one. Try to put yourself in their shoes … look at the situation from their perspective.
Be alert to serve. What counts most in life is what you do for others.
Live with a good sense of humor, a generous dose of patience, and a dash of humility.
How are you doing with creating friends? You want to really know … then ask yourself this question: If you called – Who would come? If you want them to show up, then make the effort to pay attention to these 10 rules and you will find building a career, a business and making “real” friends will be much easier. People don’t know you care … unless you “show” you care.
Rule:
Respecting others
can never hurt you –
DISRESPECT CAN.