How Well Can You Relate With Others?

“We are all born with an innate understanding of interpersonal equity - the idea that if you lend me your rake today, I'll respond in kind when you come to borrow my shovel tomorrow. Or nearly all of us are born with that. Psychopaths aren't.” - Jeffrey Kluger

Friendship is an art; it is cultivated. Today’s discussion borders on the subject matter of friendship, as a strong people skill, and please permit me to narrow it down to the work environment for the purpose of today’s discussion.

We don't live in a vacuum or work in isolation. Even in this high-paced technical world, we are always communicating in some way. Since so many of our waking hours are spent working, a great deal of our lives are spent interacting with co-workers, clients and customers. The ability to use effective interpersonal skills help you build not just better relationships with others, but makes working with them more enjoyable.

George B Yancey told a story where he said;

Jasmine works in the Elementary Education Advising Center at a state university. Part of her duties are to help enroll undergraduates for the next semester. One undergraduate was having a bad day and took her frustration out on Jasmine. Although she was being verbally attacked, Jasmine maintained a friendly demeanor, a helpful attitude, and a willingness to listen to the student's needs. This calmed the student, and Jasmine was able to reassure her that everything would work out. Subsequently, not only did that student make it a point to be pleasant to Jasmine in the future, but Jasmine's supervisor noted her excellent interpersonal and advising skills and passed on her positive
impressions of Jasmine to others in the department. Sometimes the angry customer can serve as an opportunity, if you have the skills to take advantage of that opportunity.”

People skills are vital when seeking employment, and may be the single most important factor for many recruiters.
Understand that for the most part in life, what you get from people is a product of who you really are. Interpersonal skills are the skills we use to interact with other people.

It is imperative to know that good interpersonal skills allows you participate effectively as a member of a team, satisfy customers and clients' expectations, negotiate, make decisions, manage your time efficiently, take responsibility, and work effectively with other employees. Well-honed interpersonal skills allow us to empathize and build rapport with colleagues and clients, leading to a better working environment which can be less stressful.


Can you relate effectively with others? Leave a comment.