How business relationships support career goals

You have no doubt heard the adage “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.” While it’s true that networking and knowing the right people can help you gain a foot in the door, it will serve you well to consider how business relationships support career goals on a deeper level.

Do you have a stack of business cards on your desk from the latest networking event you attended? How about a set of new connections on LinkedIn? I challenge you to take a look at each one of those names and faces and try to recall something unique and memorable about those individuals. If you can’t, then you have been collecting names rather than forging relationships.

Authentic relationships take a bit more effort, but a handful of quality connections will help your career so much more than hundreds of superficial ones.

The Importance of Relationships in Business

One successful entrepreneur, Shelley Zalis, recalls her experience gathering a group of women to attend a heavily male-dominated trade show in 2013. She didn’t want to attend the show alone, and the group of women she invited to join her later expanded to a women’s network of more than 17,000 professionals. She wrote for Forbes:

“This was my first realization that a woman alone has power, collectively we have impact.”

Harvard research that supports her insight: Professionals who connect at a women’s conference feel 71 percent more confident after the event, and they also triple their odds of earning a pay raise of at least 10 percent.

That’s a powerful argument for shifting our perspective on what it means to develop relationships throughout our personal and professional lives. It’s not only about creating warm and fuzzy feelings; it’s about surrounding yourself with a culture of support and confidence. These relationships can form both at work and in other contexts.

Other research from Harvard Business shows that a significant portion of employees’ job satisfaction stems from relationships with others. Researcher Rob Cross writes:

“People tend to overestimate the importance of the what when they should be focusing on the who.”

He also points out the positive effect these relationships can have on the team and the organization as a whole by contributing to:

A sense of purpose and well-being
Learning and knowledge sharing
Employee retention and engagement
Lower burnout rates
Innovation
Employee and organizational performance

When you feel positive connections with the people around you, you bring your best self to work.

Creating Better Business Relationships

Improving the quality of your professional relationships takes intention, but you don’t need to follow a complicated set of rules. Focus on a few key relationships, both at work and outside of work, and use these simple strategies:

Make time for in-person exchanges. Invite a colleague to lunch or reach out to a LinkedIn contact and schedule a catch-up over coffee.
Phone calls work, too. Too often we think we are too busy to catch in-person and don’t think about making a phone call. It may seem old fashioned, but a 15-minute chat can help you connect and add value.
Offer to help. At work, going above and beyond for teammates can help build trust and rapport.
Share credit and show appreciation. When you recognize others’ contributions, they feel more valued. Share positive feedback about coworkers with your boss, write thank-you notes and reward good work.
Support others’ strengths. If you manage others, invest in them as a coach. Help them understand and use their individual strengths in their career.
Be reliable. One of the best ways to create strong work bonds is to stay true to your word. Deliver quality work on time and follow through on your commitments.
Make it personal. It’s ok to be yourself at work. Talk about your family, hobbies, vacations and more. Maintain your professionalism, of course, but showing your human side will help you connect more authentically with colleagues. In turn, show interest in others’ lives as well.
Expand your circle. At work events, look for new faces or people who are not involved in conversations. Introduce yourself and invite them into conversation. Create an atmosphere of inclusivity.
Develop interests outside work. Relationships outside work, especially related to causes or interests you value most, can sustain you through difficult phases at work.

Work can easily become a place synonymous with drudgery and monotony. Quality relationships can help transform the workplace into a positive environment that supports growth. Relationships can help you tap into your own strengths, appreciate your value and help you engage more fully on the job. In turn, operating at your highest level will help your career flourish.

If you would like to work on developing quality relationships that support your career growth, reach out to me. Contact me for a free strategy call and learn what career coaching can do for you.