Relationship 101

I do not have an MBA, but if I had gone to business school this is the first class I would enroll in.

How do you gain trust and share your genuine self with people important to your business who are not (yet) your friends? How do you build honest long-term relationships with colleagues, customers, and partners? Reality check - if people don't trust you, forming a lasting business relationship can be very challenging.

These ideas are not new - you learned them in life but they need to be applied in work.

1. Give and Take – offer those around you insight, data, and analysis that they value. Don't just ask for stuff; make your team smarter and better.
2. Meet in person - matching a voice to a face helps long-term. It’s hard to get the warm and fuzzies from email chains and text messages - stepping out to meet in person is enjoyable and invaluable.
3. Work hard - raise your hand, take things off other people's plates, go above and beyond the task at hand, be thorough in your work product, give solutions not problems.
4. Be a connector - introducing colleagues and friends helps people and builds out the circle. It’s sort of like business matchmaking: good, fun, and beneficial to all.
5. Tell them about you - doing business with a real person is better than a robot.
6. Don't complain - especially not the first few months, that's called the honeymoon period. Be positive and put your best foot forward every day.
7. Listen - be a sponge not a faucet. You will learn more and figure out how to be value added
8. Patience - (ironic coming from me) just like in life, relationships take time to build so keep at it.
9. Follow Up – you are the one trying to build the relationship and trust, so it's more important to you than to them. Follow up smartly, letting those people know they are important to you and you are there to help. Keep them up on things that are important to them. Reminder, there is a fine line between following up and being annoying, so tread smartly.
10. Honesty - BE HONEST - everyone values integrity and authenticity. It is the trust that builds the relationship.