Meaningful Relationships

By: Naveed Masood?

Franchise Business Leader | Patient Champion

Our busy lives and commitment to family, friends, customers, teammates and colleagues can often limit the time and reflection we put towards some of our most critical relationships. We seek quick information sources like Instagram, X, and Tik Tok. In my effort to account for these dynamics and expectations, I will keep this brief with the objective of offering some true relationship boosters.?

Many relationships are characterized by some variation of strain, tension or outright conflict. Here are a few ways to effectively manage through these situations. You have the power to break barriers by strengthening your meaningful relationships.

The first and most imperative technique requires the individual and their personal commitment to the relationship.? If you get this right, then you have deliberately improved the chances of success. It is simple and effective, yet getting the wheels off the ground can be complicated and messy. It is how you perceive the other, and how you feel about yourself. Through compassion and understanding, you can avoid this pitfall. It requires a lot less judgment by not characterizing the other as “evil”, “wrong” or even a “tyrant”.? Typically, if one does this, they have hijacked the process even before it has even begun. If the other is perceived by you to be any of those things, then by default you have become “good”, “right” or even the “victim”.?As such, any outcome requires the other party to move a long way to meet you, and is typically fueled by intense emotions and defensiveness.? This does not mean that you are unjustified in these feelings, but rather that you will operate with the end in mind.? It requires a little vulnerability and less demonizing.? You can implement this technique by writing it down prior to your interaction with the other party, or even verbalizing this during your exchange. When you shed yourself of being a victim, you may witness the other party doing exactly the same. You kick off the process with powerful momentum founded in safety and understanding.

As you move through the exchange, one must remain committed despite the rough patches ahead. If you start strong you will likely go back to what worked.? As you navigate through your challenge, pay attention to what you assume about the other party.? Remind yourself to assume good intent. This technique does not jeopardize the process and reaffirms your commitment to the relationship. The party will see how you have treated them and will feel safer, and you have led by example. This may take time, and one may still observe questionable intent by the other party.? However, this will quickly be uncovered and either they will play under these new conditions, or they will quickly show their questionable intent.? The former is the best outcome, while the latter may compel the other party to do better. This is a personal developmental opportunity, which is also a win.

Finally, as humans we typically overlook one of the most important values we hold dearly.? Each of us aspires to feel safe, valued and respected. It is through being understood that we can attain these positive emotions. If you seek to understand the other first, then you will find yourself also being understood. Through your understanding of the other, you will offer the gift of feelings of safety, value and respect. I am amazed by how that will transform into reciprocity.?

A recap of the techniques are as follows; start from a position without judgement, assume good intent, and seek to understand.? As you put this into practice, keep in mind that success hinges on a shared commitment by both parties, an agreement to communicate, a level of reciprocity, and a consistent set of actions. An authentic and unrelenting pursuit builds trust, personal safety, confidence, and experience you can draw from. An unintended consequence of this framework is the behaviors being modeled for others and by others – and that is leadership. It is my hope that these techniques will boost many, if not all of your relationships.

?