The Value of Positive Working Relationships

The people we interact with on a regular basis will have a profound influence on us. They not only affect our attitude toward life, but also our very life experience. That’s why it is so important to take time to evaluate what kind of influence our working relationships are having on us, and visa versa.

We may think that we are immune to the influence of those around us, but that is simply not true. Perhaps we have convinced ourselves that we can just tune them out and remain unaffected. But the very fact that we recognize the need to resist their influence shows that the influence does exist.

Choice and responsibility

Granted, we can’t always choose whose company we are in. In many cases, such as work or school, we have little if any choice in the matter. But when we do have a choice, it’s an opportunity to enrich our lives on many levels. We can benefit immensely by purposely choosing to interact with, and create working relationships with those who have a positive and appreciative attitude.

There is also some personal responsibility involved here that we want to be aware of. If we want to keep company with positive, encouraging people, then our contribution to the relationship should also be positive and encouraging. All relationships are a give and take arrangement. Consequently, if we want to be encouraged by others, we should strive to be encouraging to them.

Building positive working relationships

Now you may personally interact with dozens of people on a daily basis, so what is it that draws you toward some more than others? Mutual recognition of the give and take principal is what contributes to building closer relationships. When somebody seems to needy or greedy, we become more guarded. When someone does something nice for us, we feel impelled to make it reciprocal.

The beauty of this arrangement is that we can take the initiative. That’s right, we can assume the role of the giver and see what kind of response is generated. I am not suggesting that we give with the expectation of getting something in return. In fact, I am very much in favor of giving without expectation. But giving opens the door to, in fact it invites, mutual exchange.

This works for all types of relationships

Increasingly, people interact through channels other than face to face encounters. These principles apply to every kind of interaction. For me personally, much of my interaction takes place online. Every day I communicate with people from all over the world. Some of those people are part of my life on a daily basis, and I like to think that those relationships are mutually beneficial.

The real beauty of this arrangement is that we have chosen to grow our relationships because we share similar interests and goals. At the same time, our fields of expertise vary enough that we are able to learn from one another and to contribute to each others growth. These are positive and mutually beneficial relationships. It is a win – win situation that I find very encouraging.

The role of social media

We always hear that social media is built on relationships, but is that really true? At first glance, sites like facebook, twitter and google+ may just seem like a lot of disconnected noise. But is that all there is to it? Is it really possible to build solid working relationships that make a real contribution to your life through these channels?

The answer is absolutely yes, and the truth of that fact is the motivation behind this post. I have built a number of these mutually beneficial working relationships from these very sources and I wanted to acknowledge a few of them. Actually, I want to acknowledge all of them, but I will only focus on a few that can serve as examples for this discussion.

Activities that contribute to positive working relationships

Here are some of the activities that involve some form of interaction with other people online, along with some of the benefits.

1) Commenting on each other’s blogs. When I contribute a meaningful comment to someone else’s blog post it helps keep the conversation going and increases the value of their article. My comment creates a link back to my blog which brings me new readers. Even though I don’t have as much time for this activity as I once did, it is still a excellent way to encourage positive working relationships.

2) Using facebook, twitter or google+. Alerting those in my timeline when something worthwhile is posted by a friend brings them traffic because it exposes them to a new audience. The same thing happens when they like, tweet, or g+ one of my articles. The beauty of this arrangement is that very little effort is required, but there is plenty of value.

3) Reading each other’s articles. Those I choose to interact with are known for creating real value. By reading each other’s articles we learn from one another which adds to our depth of understanding while constantly exposes us to new perspectives.

4) Asking and answering questions. If we have a technical question or are searching for a resource, chances are that someone in our positive working relationship circle has the answer. This has been very helpful to me personally on several occasions.

5) Direct linking. We can write articles and purposely link to something on a friends blog. This serves our readers and the links help those in our circle with their search engine rankings. Everyone I know appreciates a little link love now and then!

A few examples

These are just a few of the interesting and informative articles that I have enjoyed reading recently.

• Mottos that Inspire Greatness: The Power of Personal Mottos, Part III by Ken Wert at Meant to be Happy.
• 20 Top Bloggers Share Their Most Life-Altering Fearless Action by Barrie Davenport at Live Bold and Bloom.
• Why You Need to Follow Your Passion by Steve Aitchison
• Fetching Friday – Resources Mashup & Last of the Great Unknown by Kristi Hines at Kikolani.

Relationships matter even online

As you can see, there has been a mutually beneficial exchange of resources and encouragement here. Trust me when I tell you that this list barely scratched the surface. There were many more activities and quite a few other people involved. Interacting on this level is a good example of how making wise choices about your associates can have a positive influence on your life experience.