Building Relationships is Part of the Job

“Your ability to work on cross-functional teams, in matrix organizations, or across organizational boundaries is enhanced by knowing lots of people. Part of working in an organization demands that you find time to create and maintain the relationships you need to be successful.

With today’s hurry-up pace, we’ve lost the notion of making time for other people. Events designed to get employees together after work no longer hold the same interest. We eat at our desk, decline invitations for coffee, and rush to get off work.

There is something about an invitation to have coffee that signals genuine interest in connecting with the other person. And those connections forged over coffee, tea, or lunch impact your ability to get things done in the organization.

I’m not talking about a huge time investment here. Thirty minutes, once a week, and you could make new connections or deepen your relationship with fifty colleagues in a year’s time (p. 57-58).”

From: Axtell, P. (2015, 2020). Make virtual meetings matter: how to turn virtual meetings from status updates to remarkable conversations. (eBook) Naperville, IL: Simple Truths.

Questions for reflection:

• How can you make more time for others in your daily life?
• Why is maintaining these connections important for personal success?