Building Strong Relationships

All of life is about people and how you relate to them. Relationships take time, sometimes a lot of time, to cultivate and develop. No man is an island. We all need one another to get ahead in life.

Your personal success in life depends on how well you relate to others. It is impossible to excel in life without building strong relationships. Although in many cases, hard work and much effort are required to build stronger and lasting relationships, it is worth it in the end.

The following seven keys will help you in developing your relationship building skills:

You need others

Relationships give you a sense of belonging. They cause you to feel needed and appreciated. Relationships also give you teammates to help you accomplish your objectives. When each person in a relationship does their part, they lighten one another’s load and insure the job gets done.

Develop your communication skills

Studies have proven that the primary reason for failure in relationships is a lack of communication. From marriages to business associations, breakdowns occur when one or all parties involved fail to communicate. Communication is much more than just speaking your mind. It involves many elements. In order to fully communicate you must work to listen, to understand, to get your point across, and to reinforce what is being communicated.


Know what is expected

Many relationships fail because the parties involved don't know what is expected of them. It is important that each person in a relationship understand his or her roles in the relationship. If you're uncertain, you should ask the others involved in a relationship what they expect of you. Don't be afraid to let others know what you expect of them.

Learn from your past experiences

Draw on your past relational experiences whether negative or positive. Determine not to make the same mistakes that proved to be detrimental in other relationships. Seek to treat others the way you want to be treated.

The role of personality

It is good to understand the role personality plays in relationships. Your personality goes a long way in determining how you relate to others. Great leaders are not only aware of their personality traits, but also of those that they are leading. Understanding what makes a person tick helps you to communicate, assist, and motivate others.

Conflict
Conflict in relationships is inevitable. No relationship is immune to conflict. Seek to find the causes of the conflict as well as the solutions to the conflict. Accept personal responsibility. Don't play the blame game. Do what is necessary to resolve conflict as soon as possible.

Compatibility

Many relationships fail because of a lack of compatibility. You must look for common ground in your relationships. Seek to discover your common interests. Here's a brief compatibility checklist. Do you have similar likes and dislikes? Do you have similar ideas, dreams, and objectives? Do you have similar values? Do you have similar beliefs? Do you come from a similar culture? If you answered no to any of these questions you may find that you are incompatible.