You can’t talk your way out of a problem you behaved your way into!
—Stephen Covey
It’s relatively easy to be savvy with those you have a relationship with, but how do you go about building a meaningful relationship?
FYI – For Your Improvement authors, Michael Lombardo & Robert Eichinger, share the following tips:
- Look for and appreciate the differences in others and use those differences for everyone’s benefit.
- Craft how you approach another person by observing them first.
- Work on being open, approachable, and put others at ease by listening and sharing and valuing their opinion.
- Ask clarifying questions, restate what they said, and don’t immediately judge an opinion.
- Manage your non verbal communication. Make eye contact, stay focused on that person and nod as others speak to stay engaged.
- Separate the person from a difficult issue. Ask what is bothersome to that person or ask what they feel you could do or say to help.
A great goal to strive for is that onlookers shouldn’t be able to tell if you’re interacting with a friend, someone you just met, or a person you have an adversarial relationship with. That’s not easy but it can be done!
And, when you do experience adversarial relationships, look for common interests and don’t disregard differing thoughts and opinions. Keeping your cool, listening, and allowing others to vent will assist with decreasing stress levels and diffuse tense situations.
Do you invest time and skill in building and maintaining savvy relationships?
The key to getting along with all kinds of people is to hold back or neutralize your personal reactions and focus on others first. – Michael Lombardo & Robert Eichinger