3 Takeaways on Genuine Relationship Building

One cold winter day last year I was running through the Salesforce lobby after a long commute when I noticed the smile on one of our receptionist’s faces. It occurred to me that every morning, rain or shine, this woman had a terrific attitude and aura about her. So I asked her for her name. She told me it was Andrea. The next day I asked Andrea how her morning was going. The day after that I asked her what her plans were for the week. And before you know it we had hit it off. It became apparent to me that she had so much potential. She was full of drive, attention, and focus. I was impressed by her positivity and approachability, and I knew she was special.

Over a year later there was a position open on my team and I immediately thought of her. I recommended that my team consider Andrea for the role. She interviewed against a slew of other very qualified candidates, but the team saw that specialness in Andrea that I saw. She got the job and has been tremendous culture fit ever since. Andrea’s work speaks for itself. She is currently in charge of booking nonprofits to use our Trailblazer Lab in the Salesforce Tower. In just a matter of months she had already successfully booked out the Lab to its full capacity.

Turns out Andrea was raising kids by herself at home and had even struggled with homelessness. I didn’t know any of that at the time though. She didn’t tell me any of that at first. Only that she was a hard worker, who was humble and took a lot of pride in her profession.

I think there are three key takeaways from this experience.

1. You never know what someone is dealing with at home. So always treat people with respect. Life can be hard, so there’s no reason to make it harder.
2. Make connections because you appreciate the relationship, not because you want something out of it. This is a common mistake in networking. Andrea made it known what she wanted in life, but never asked me for anything. I gave her an opportunity because I got to know her and saw that an opening aligned with her ambition.
3. Pay it forward. Hard work is hard work. But everyone who succeeds had the help of some sort along the way. From something as simple as words of encouragement, to the opening of doors and direct mentorship. The more we recognize this, the more we will help each other.

Start your day with a smile. It may sound silly, but the truth is that you never know who’s going to really appreciate it.