Relationships at Work

“How do you turn workplace acquaintances into a solid network that enriches your career and personal life? By building genuine, meaningful relationships – one step at a time.”

Insight 1: Start Strong – Build Relationships Early in Your Job

Building bonds as soon as you step into a new role lays the groundwork for long-term success. When you make an effort to connect early, you create an environment of trust, cooperation, and collaboration. This helps you settle in faster and makes it easier to navigate challenges.

Introduce yourself through a friendly email to everyone you’ll be working with – from your direct reports to colleagues in different departments. Go beyond emails by setting up chats with coworkers, particularly those who are known to be key team players. Proactively establishing connections ensures you have allies when you need them most.

For example, even those outside your immediate team can offer valuable perspectives on company norms and culture. Networking beyond your direct circle might also lead to professional partnerships that ease workflows and foster creative ideas.

Examples

• Send a welcome email to your department, highlighting your enthusiasm to collaborate.
• Schedule coffee chats with well-connected colleagues your team recommends.
• Meet with coworkers who share your manager or jointly handle important tasks.

Insight 2: Follow Up – Turn Moments Into Meaningful Connections

Networking isn’t just an event; it’s an ongoing practice of fostering relationships. Follow-ups transform casual introductions into long-term partnerships. After meeting someone, remember to reach out soon to keep the conversation going.

Writing a follow-up email referencing your previous discussion demonstrates genuine interest. Similarly, connecting on professional platforms like LinkedIn shortly afterward keeps the interaction alive. The effort to personalize your messages shows you value the relationship, helping move this from a surface-level connection to a deeper bond.

Even routine events like team lunches or training sessions can be opportunities to connect. By seizing these small chances to follow up, you open doors to larger opportunities down the road.

Examples

• Email a colleague after a company event to discuss shared project goals.
• Offer support or advice in your follow-up from a skill you know they could use.
• Connect on LinkedIn with someone you directly met during a training session.

Insight 3: Leverage Your Existing Network to Expand

Your current contacts are more than connections; they’re gateways. Using these relationships to meet new people can help you grow your network exponentially. People are generally open to making introductions when you ask politely.

Begin by requesting an introduction from a coworker, explaining your intent to learn or collaborate. Then carry the chain forward by asking the new contact for another introduction. Over time, this approach creates a web of relationships across multiple departments or industries.

Moreover, offering to connect others is equally valuable. When you help someone new get started by introducing them to mentors or influencers, your generosity builds goodwill and mutual support.

Examples

• Ask a teammate to connect you with professionals outside your department.
• When working with someone new, ask them for further recommendations of people.
• Introduce an intern or a new hire to a trusted mentor in the workplace.

Insight 4: Strengthen Relationships During Challenges

Adversity tests the strength of workplace connections. Instead of retreating during tough times, it’s essential to lean on colleagues and actively work on improving relationships. These bonds can become your foundation when navigating criticism or setbacks.

For instance, if a misunderstanding arises, initiate a conversation to accommodate constructive feedback. Similarly, relationships with colleagues from competing teams can be reshaped by demonstrating a willingness to collaborate. This proactive approach may transform tension into teamwork.

Even when strained relationships seem irreparable, a sincere apology or a straightforward talk can mend bridges. Time and consistent effort show your commitment to rebuilding trust.

Examples

• Approach a teammate after a heated project debate with the offer of compromise.
• Rebuild a strained relationship by listening to past grievances and showing change.
• Strengthen your connection with a challenging supervisor by asking how to improve.

Insight 5: Maintain Bonds After You Leave a Role

Leaving a job isn’t an end to relationships – it’s an evolution. The contacts you make in one workplace can remain valuable beyond your time there, so continuing those connections is essential.

Send personalized emails to your former colleagues, expressing gratitude for shared experiences and offering ways to stay in touch. Thoughtfully transitioning responsibilities and introducing replacements also create a positive legacy, ensuring you’re remembered kindly by the team.

This approach applies to temporary absences, like taking maternity leave. When you communicate openly and stay engaged emotionally, returning feels seamless and comforting for both you and your workplace.

Examples

• Thank your past supervisor and team for their mentorship and collaboration.
• Stay connected via LinkedIn or monthly follow-ups even after taking a break.
• Smoothly introduce your substitute to your colleagues before a temporary leave.

Insight 6: Avoid Networking Pitfalls

The art of networking involves avoiding common missteps that can harm meaningful connections. First, don’t fear rejection; unanswered emails or unreciprocated efforts are normal and shouldn’t deter you.

Resist sending impersonal group emails, as these lack authenticity. Instead, customize your outreach with personal touches that resonate with the recipient. Another error is rushing relationships by asking for significant favors without building rapport. Take small steps instead.

Balancing persistence with patience is key. Some relationships take time to bloom, while others may fade naturally, and that’s perfectly fine. Understanding this prevents overstepping boundaries and ensures every connection remains respectful.

Examples

• Personalize every email introduction by mentioning specific past interactions.
• Request a coffee chat instead of asking too early for a significant career referral.
• Let some relationships fade if the chemistry or timing doesn’t align well.

Insight 7: Turn Everyday Interactions Into Networking Moments

Networking isn’t confined to official meetings or events. Every casual interaction offers the potential to connect meaningfully. Whether it’s a chat during lunch or a hallway conversation, these moments matter.

Take the initiative to discuss shared challenges or ask colleagues about their work. By showing genuine curiosity, you transform these everyday moments into opportunities for collaboration and camaraderie.

Viewing every interaction as a networking chance ensures you build relationships effortlessly over time through consistent mini-efforts rather than one-off forced events.

Examples

• Strike casual conversations during team breaks about shared interests.
• Offer solutions during impromptu brainstorming after work meetings.
• Compliment a colleague’s achievement in passing, sparking deeper discussions.

Insight 8: Cultivate Cross-Department Bonds

While working within your team is essential, reaching across departments fosters diverse relationships. Understanding how other departments function enhances collaboration and gives you a wider professional reach.

Start attending cross-functional meetings, where you can shine by contributing industry expertise. Making friends outside your immediate work area strengthens mutual understanding and provides fresh perspectives.

These connections also make future interdepartmental projects smoother because you’ve already established trust and familiarity.

Examples

• Attend a meeting hosted by a different team to expand your company knowledge.
• Suggest collaborative opportunities with an unrelated department.
• Initiate partnerships for initiatives needing cross-department collaboration.

Insight 9: Approach Relationships From a Place of Generosity

Great networking begins with a mindset of giving rather than receiving. Helping others first establishes a foundation of trust and goodwill, leading to reciprocal support over time.

Offer your skills or share valuable resources when opportunities arise. Looking for ways to support others often brings unexpected benefits down the line.

Being generous with your time and expertise makes these bonds mutual and more rewarding for both parties.

Examples

• Help a coworker struggling on a deadline by providing useful support.
• Share new tools or ideas during team brainstorming.
• Volunteer as a mentor for an intern even if not personally beneficial short-term.

Takeaways

1. Build relationships early in new roles or environments by proactively reaching out to colleagues and key contacts.
2. Sustain and nurture connections during challenges or transitions, ensuring your network thrives over time.
3. Approach networking as a give-and-take process, prioritizing generosity and persistence every step of the way.