Keys to Successful Workplace Relationships

Have you ever taken the time to watch the successful (and not-so-successful) people in your workplace? If you pay close attention, you will pick up the clues you need if you are to develop stronger workplace relationships for yourself. In a healthy corporate environment, you will find people who see problems as opportunities, demonstrate confidence (not arrogance), are loyal (not a doormat), are assertive (not hostile or stubborn), and are kind (but not weak). You will also notice people making and sharing observations (not judgments), thoughtfully responding to challenges (not reacting), and focusing on what is right (not who is right).

Problems or Opportunities?

One of the critical elements in developing healthy workplace relationships is redefining problems and challenges as opportunities. If making the transformation from problem to opportunity is not a natural process for you, the difficulty may be related to how you view those problems: the distinction between disappointment and failure, your level of optimism, your opinion of change, and your understanding of choice.

With the skill of transforming problems into opportunities, you can develop successful relationships with practically anyone, anywhere. The following information will help you to identify the components you need to learn in order to exercise the ability to make the shift.

Disappointment or Failure

Disappointment is a part of life-not necessarily the fun part, but a part nonetheless. Sometimes we experience disappointment as a personal failure; therefore, we need to define the distinction between failure and disappointment. Failure occurs when you attempt a task and perform part of the process in a flawed way (or omit an important part of the process). For instance, if I plan to bring a product to market, but I do not understand the end user, I will probably fail. It is a process thing, not a people thing. A process failure can (and often does) open the door to regret-the way in which we personalize the negative outcome, limiting our ability to transform problems into opportunities.

Disappointment, on the other hand, occurs when an event fails to meet our expectations or our hopes.

If you are dealing with a problem and you are feeling disappointed, first reframe the problem as a temporary setback, rather than personalizing the event as a failure. If you can, consider the concept that disappointment is a good way to get you back on the right track-Glenn's job search, Ron's partnership, and Brian's career choices need to be reviewed from a strategic viewpoint, and each can be transformed into opportunities.