We all know people who are easy to work with and those, who are not so easy to work with. For them, you need patience, respect and consideration. This means, you need good manners, even in some challenging situations. We need to work the way to create a positive environment. Even if others are not being very helpful.
We can do many things at work to irritate others. At times, we don't realise it is happening. Therefore, today, I will provide few tips how to foster good relationships with your colleagues.
Firstly, we need to know about each other. Here, understanding personality types can be very helpful.
Let's explore the main ones?
The control freak. This individual wants to do everything themselves. You can identify them by their impatience and by the constance desire for more challenges and work.
The appreciation fan. This person constantly wants to be acknowledged by others. You can identify them by constantly promoting themselves and their teams.
The obsessive worker. This person is generally a loner and wants to get things right. You can identify the person by the way they communication. The more information, the better.
The consensus person. This individual wants everyone to get along. This person is compassionate and inclusive and get nervous when asked to make decision by themselves.
The socialite. This individual wants everyone to have a good time. They prefer chatting and having fun. This person generally improves the motivation among team members.
The steamroller. This person wants to get things done immediately. They are quick to make decisions, even when there is no enough information. The person would generally keep the team moving.
Most of us are also combination of these different types, and each of them can be very helpful. If you need a decision to be made, go to steamroller. If you need someone to go through a long report, go to the obsessive person. It is important to understand the personality types, their strengths and weaknesses.
Good etiquette, would be to modify your behaviour to accommodate them.
There are few tips to follow to keep yourself on track:
- Dress consistently with company culture, make sure that your clothes are always clean.
- Speak calmly and keep confidential business communications to minimum.
- Always say "Good morning" and "Good night" .
- Be pleasant to be around, smell fresh and shower every day.
- Do not interrupt others if they are working.
- Do not bring odour food to the office.
If you are a manager or supervisor you also need to develop good relationships with your staff. They are not your slaves. Praise them when they did a good job. Talk to them privately, when the job needs improvement. Ask, rather them tell them what to do. Be polite and clear.
Ensure you use people's names. If you make a mistake and call someone a wrong name, always apologise and make an effort to get the right. Treat your employees with respect. Correcting errors is best dealt with privately. Try to give precise instructions. And above all, if you make a mistake, admit it.
In therms of relationships with your superior, it is important to not to be too friendly. You need to follow your bosses lead and do your job. Also, treat your boss with understanding. Never assume that your boss is your friend. The boss is the one who starts the private talk, do not voluntarily reveal information about your personal adventures as it may backfire.
Praise and criticism
Praise and criticism are unavoidable in the workplace. We must remember, however, that we criticise the work and not the person.
If someone have done you a favour, more than you asked for or they have done an excellent work. Think of them as little gifts and do not throw it left, right and centre. When giving someone praise and compliment, fully focus on themselves and not on yourself. Do it politely, sincerely and with a genuine tone of voice. Be precise about the details and do it in timely manner, and, above of all, do it publicly.
One nice thing to do is to compose a personal note. A handwritten note is always a present surprise.
Similarly, like with giving compliments, when receiving them, we must be genuine. Always say "Thank you". Do not be apologetic about receiving a praise. Say "Thank you", smile, and be done with it!
On the other hand, giving and receiving criticism can be very difficult. If you have to give criticism, make it a constructive one. Avoid being angry or giving irrelevant details. If there is something to praise, give the praise before criticism.
We must remember, that at work the only reason we give criticism is to improve performance. Do not attract or complain. Do it privately only to those who need to be criticised and not in front of others. Do it politely and know you may hurt the other person's feelings. Focus your comments on the work and not the person. Never use words like "stupid", "brainless", "lacking common sense", "idiot". Identify the problem and look at the solutions. Say something like "Agnes, we have now sent two shipments in a row to this client to wrong address. Let's look on the problem and figure out how we can avoid it in the future". We also need to make sure, we provide the criticism as promptly as possible. But not when you are mad! Calm yourself down, take few big breaths and approach the situation politely.
When someone is criticising you, take it professionally. If it is appropriate, take the responsibility. Try not to blame someone else or looking for excuses. Apologise, ensure the person you will work on it and than ensure this will be done. Do not assume, that the other person wants to insult you. If someone is rude and shouting at you, do not follow the path. You may say: "I can see the problem here. I apologise. I would like to think about a solution. Can we talk about it in few hours/ tomorrow?".
You see? Its not that hard. Few little tips can make a big difference. Now, go and practise. You will see results very quickly. Good luck!
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