This week will be full of new opportunities and challenges. Here is my thought for the week: Building better working relationships requires that you step outside of your comfort zone.
“Your comfort zone is a place where you keep yourself in a self-illusion and nothing can grow there, but your potentiality can grow only when you can think and grow out of that zone.”
― Rashedur Ryan Rahman
Etiquette is not a rigid set of outdated rules. It is simply an awareness of how your life touches another’s life. Building good working relationships begins with a simple interaction. Many people struggle to build solid long-lasting relationships—much less professional ones. They allow their past and present realities to impact their basic day to day interactions with others. The ability to be impartial—to be judgement free—is one of the most powerful skills one can have. Developing this allows you to rise above the ebb and flow of human emotion and remain focused on your mission—to become a better person. When you stop looking through the lenses of the past, you give yourself permission to no longer remain stuck there hoping for change. You learn to treat people better and build stronger relationships with others. You are an active creator of the life change you wish to see—not a passive participant. In your interactions see people as they are and not how you think they should be. We all want equality. We all want equity. These begin at home—in the heart. Guard your actions, your beliefs, your image and your words so that you do not end up repeating the cycle of injustices that so many have faced. To have etiquette is to make others feel comfortable with themselves in your presence. This leads to better working relationships overall. Here are a few considerations to ponder:
- Guard your beliefs. When you think of a person, are there any negative beliefs that immediately come to mind? If there were one thing you could do to rise above the emotions you feel, what would it be? Give people a chance. Do not allow yourself to become swayed by other’ gossip and personal opinions concerning other people. Strive to reach those conclusions independently.
- Guard your actions. We meet so many people in a day. Sometimes, we want to just tune out the world around us. While the key to being present is mindfulness, it is not simply awareness of oneself, but an acknowledgement of those who surround you. If you are at work, acknowledge the presence of others. Remind them they exist too. A simple “Hello” will do.
- Guard your image. How we present to the worlds says a lot about who we are. Our inner turmoil can be personified in the way we dress and take care of our bodies. Have you ever put on a nice outfit and felt confident instantly. Even for that instant, it connected you to the potential within yourself. They always say, dress like the job you want. I’d say there’s some truth in that. When you present to the world how you feel inside, be prepared for the world to treat you accordingly.
- Guard your words. Avoid coarse language at all costs in the workplace. Be mindful that things you say can be misconstrued to fit another’s narrative. Avoid topics of sex, race, religion and politics. You want your work to speak for itself. You would not want your personal leanings to overshadow the impact you have made. These are deeply personal to people, and should not be publicized excessively in the workplace. By striving to become more impartial, you automatically, reduce the gossip and slander that frequently occurs in such settings.
