Building successful, strong business partnerships does not happen overnight. It takes time, dedication and skill. They are key to a business succeeding, but many people in business don’t always want to put in the necessary communication work to make it happen.
Any business network should contain a core group of people who can give insight, direction, and support to each other. There has to be a good balance of people who are both givers and takers, so that a generosity of spirit can be fostered and maintained.
Building good engagement in business relations means finding people who are consistent, efficient and able to listen and understand the needs of everyone in the room.
Here are a core selection of methods in which you can help build business relationships that will last.
- Stay true to yourself and other people too
Be authentic and true to yourself, and also accept others for who they are too. It’s all too easy these days to create a false image of who we are in the age of digital living and social media. In the long term, however, this doesn’t do you or the people around you any good and it’s the same in business too.
Find business connections you have a natural affinity with in the first place as this creates instant ease of communication and trust.
- Find common ground
In our personal lives we seek to engage with people who have similar goals and values to ourselves, so why do we not always do the same in business? However, finding common ground with anyone we work with is a good way to foster and maintain successful business relationships. One way around this is to practice negotiating and learning to listen and understand other people’s points of view even though we might not always agree.
- Mutual respect is a must
Developing mutual respect does take time and often it’s demonstrated not by what we say, but by what we do over time with our business activities and experiences. Locally, join a business chamber, look at local business groups and try connecting with local business people on social media to see how they operate.
- It’s OK to be human
As humans, we all experience life changes, stresses, and ups and downs. We also witness others going through the same. Showing we are human and seeing other people reveal their truth teaches us to respect and support each other.
- Learn to support each other when times are tough
Listening, caring and supporting each other as colleagues is essential. However, it’s important to draw boundaries and let people who need support, know that you’re looking out for them when times are tough, but that professionalism needs to be maintained as much as possible. Offering leeway and time to step away if needed is also important.
Maintaining key business relationships doesn’t just begin and end with the people you deal with on a one to one basis, fostering good communications between everyone involved in your company from the ground up is essential in maintaining a smooth running machine.