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Currently I am at my first large conference that I have been to and my first one that really caters to everything in my new job role that I took on earlier this year. There are thousands of people and so many different sessions centered primarily around technology and trends. This is the industry that I am in and I am currently managing a project that is centrally focused on this. I have been looking forward to this conference for months and getting to learn about the new trends, what we are doing well at, what we could improve on, but most importantly forming great relationships and meeting new people in the industry. Today I will be talking to a customer that is working on a similar type of project that I am leading and I can’t wait. Getting to interact with others and forming relationships is something that I think can be the best part about working and your career. When you learn from each other and get to take in their wisdom and new ideas, while also providing your own with additional insight, is a win-win in my opinion. It is not always going to be a bed of roses in the work place and you might not always agree with everything your colleagues says, and that is something that I have learned below.

Importance of Forming Great Relationships at Work

•  Have Someone You Can Trust: As you remember from my post on having a mentor here, it is so important to meet someone that will lead you in the right direction through all of your work decisions and conflicts you might go through. Having someone you can trust is key to bouncing ideas off one another and providing real honest feedback when needed. This has taken me a while to find some people I can really trust because sometimes I am just an open book and trust everyone, but I have learned that this is key in forming a great relationship. On the other hand you need to be that person that your co-worker can trust too. I am not talking about trust and someone just to gossip with, but have that confidant and trustee that can support you in decisions that are made or are brought forth.
• You Can Learn From Each Other: It does not matter your age, experience, or department within the work place, you can always learn something from one another. I always think that if I didn’t learn something new from someone that day or see it from a different perspective, then it was not that successful of a day. Sometimes it can seem intimating giving advice or feedback to someone of a higher level, but that is becoming more and more acceptable and people are more opened to the idea. You have heard of reverse mentoring right? I think instead of growing farther apart from each other in decisions and the way they might approach different decisions, it is best to see different view points and learn from each other at the same time.
• Will Help Make Your Day More Enjoyable: The days used to seem like they dragged on and on before I was in this new role, and now I look at my clock every day and I always can’t believe it is the afternoon. Between lots of emails, meetings, but most importantly communicating with those colleagues that you have formed great relationships with, truly do make the day more enjoyable. There are a couple of people that I have a great relationship with at work. I am open and ask them how I should approach a certain situation or more importantly how could I improve. Having these deep insightful conversations and enjoying every minute of it help make the day more enjoyable, instead of just talking via break room talk.
• Can Provide Feedback You Need: Lately to better myself, I have asked a few people about what they could see me doing differently in my position. This is helpful criticism and I am a big component in this. It puts people on the spot and sometimes they don’t feel comfortable in providing this or be on the receiving end of the feedback, but I think this is so important. Having a great relationship at work with someone who knows your strengths and weaknesses and can provide feedback along the way is very important to someone who wants to further their career.
• You Might Be Reporting to Each Other One Day: I think of this now more than ever since I have been working for some years now. You could have not gotten along with some individuals in high school or college and  then come to the real world and you end up working together. This happens more than we think. There are also co workers that you want to maintain relationships with because you might end up reporting to them as well. You never know what situation you might be in and it’s important to be aware of this and your interactions and overall relationships with people at work.
• It’s All About the People: Even though I work in technology, I believe that you still need people and technology doesn’t solve everything. As much as it helps make our lives easier and more enjoyable, the world still needs people in order to manage it and work together collaboratively. We sometimes believe that technology will fix everything and some even use technology too often when there should be more human interaction to address issues. The connections you make and the interactions you have in the work place are the key to thriving and not just surviving in corporate America.

This topic is one that I think is one of the best ways to get the most out of your work day each and every day. Some people go about their day by “co-existing” with others with them just in the room or via email, and try to not have any interaction unless it is ultimately necessary. I don’t believe in this and think that you must find true connections with people where you can share thoughts and thrive within your careers. I think having these social interactions is key to being the best you can as a professional. I know that I am learning this and have been trying to follow my own tips each and every day. This is one of those topics that I can be intimidating and hard at times, but that is so worth it if you put in the effort. I hope you all enjoyed this and please let me know if there is another topic you would like to see for a “Work Wednesday” post.