What are relationship-building skills and how can you improve them?

Relationships form the basis of growth in any organization. It is your goodwill and reputation that takes the brand name forward. Even on an individual level relationship building is so important. A lot of organizations are investing in relationship-building training for greater success.

What are relationship-building skills?

As an employee or new manager you should know the art of building and maintaining relationships. Skill-sets that help you foster strong relationships are a part of relationship-building skills. When you’re connected to the other person in one way or the other, that’s when a relationship starts.

Healthy relations are the key to good work culture. Whether it is relations between peers or between a manager and his team, it is important that they are based on trust and loyalty.

How do you develop relationship-building skills?

Building relationships is difficult, but maintaining them is all the more difficult. It needs to be a two-way process in which you remove all judgment and bias, invest time and effort, and work hard towards building a positive relationship.

Here are 7 tips to develop relationship skills.

Become a great listener

The start of any relationship is when you patiently listen to the other person. Don’t just listen to reply, listen empathetically. Active listening is an important skill that you need to polish to become a great leader or manager. Understand what the other person is saying, ask questions, and give feedback.

Give people your time

Giving people your time is the biggest way of telling them you care. When you want to work on relationship-building skills, be present for your team or customers. Put distractions aside and let people know that you care by genuinely listening to them.

Accept and celebrate differences

If you’re a First-time manager® and want to build strong relationships, then it is important that you accept and celebrate differences. Respect individuality and give the employees the freedom to express their thoughts. Put biases aside and don’t have any pre-set notions about people.

Manage your emotions

Whether you’re a leader or a first-time manager, controlling your emotions at the workplace is so important. You cannot let your emotions overpower you. Regardless of how furious or frustrated, you might be feeling, sometimes you need to put those feelings aside and focus on building relationships.

Ask the right questions

Asking the right questions will help in relationship-building skills. When you ask a relevant question or doubt at the end of a conversation it shows that you were genuinely listening and have an interest in the conversation. Questions will also encourage the flow of ideas and innovations a lot easy.

Be open in your communication

Be open about having a meaningful conversation where the other person feels free to share his/ her opinion. Someone who wants to build relations is open about communication and sharing all kinds of emotions – happiness, sorrow, frustration, anger, or disappointment.

Learn to give and take feedback

Feedback is one of the most important steps of communication. You should be able to give and take constructive feedback. It will help to improve your skills and work on your weaknesses. It is best to take feedback in a positive sense as an opportunity to grow, and not as a personal attack.

Essential skills every first-time manager must master

For a First-time manager® making the transition in the role can be a tough experience. But when you have the right training and are backed with great skills, the road is easier to cross. Here are some essential skills that every First-time manager® must master –