Have you ever wondered why your colleagues appear to receive all the meeting, project, and coffee break invitations while you sit on the bench? There is much more to all this than what you see in your professional performance. According to Michael Doolin, former HR director of PwC and British Airways with 36 years of experience in this field, your employees liking and respecting you is not essential for being professional in your domain but one of the most important factors that would make your professional life very pleasant and would improve your professional acumen in your workplace.
The distinction between being liked and acquiring respect is of utmost significance. Being liked has been proven to build trust through the exchange of personal successes and defeats aimed at acquiring the trust of others, which would include those who are coworkers. Respect, however, would be acquired through the exchange of ideas, soliciting their guidance, or assistance in resolving an issue and would also come from coworkers or the management of an organization as assistance and respect of coworkers are valued for obtaining job satisfaction as research studies conducted by the Society of Human Resource Management prove.
Being one of the most apparent ways of recognizing whether one is regarded with respect, it is through being included. If there is an element of being part of projects, being delegated more work, or being invited to networking events, then it is an indication of being regarded with respect. Asking meaningful questions, whether it is about personal matters or changes in processes, is an indication of being willing to help others, hence creating an impression of being liked or regarded with respect.
Good teammates are precious and valued everywhere. The management is able to identify individuals who assist in removing difficulties and obstacles and individuals who possess solutions and go beyond the call of duty. An activity that demonstrates sharing of credit, sharing of knowledge, and assisting during team meeting activities helps in creating good will and bringing an individual into the fold of a particular team as a regular member. Smaller actions, like making coffee for individuals and assisting during smaller working activities, also add into bringing familiarity and friendliness and thus upgrading an individual’s position in a given setup.
But it is equally important to note the importance of natural body signals from other workers. A sense of humor and witty talk or making fun of oneself could release rapport. Positive non-verbal communication such as smiling, laughing, leaning forward in a discussion, and making eye contact could also increase rapport. In fact, from the studies quoted in the Harvard Business Review, mimicking the facial expressions and body gestures of co-workers could lead to a better rapport between workers in building a positive work environment.
Camaraderie, although making the working environment enjoyable, is a driver that generates outcomes. Friendships within the workplace generate efficiency gains, reduced stress levels, and psychological safety at the workplace, where the individual believes that when he or she shares his or her idea, they will not ridicule and punish him or her. This is known to generate innovations because the effects of friendship within the workplace on the Omani service sector’s innovation level specified that the presence and occurrence of friendship within the workplace influenced creative problem-solving.
Professionals who want to build stronger working relationships must, therefore, be deliberate. It is the responsibility of level leaders and employees to reach out and establish beneficial interactions through mere conversations or teamwork exercises. Showing respect for another by being treated the same, sharing another’s success, or showing concern can initiate a chain reaction of kindness. According to a study on leadership: “Trust is the glue that makes respect meaningful and likability sustainable.”
It is in professionals who strike a balance between being credible and building a relationship where the greatest successes will be experienced. Being respected will offer a basis on which one’s credibility will be accepted. Being liked will ensure effective collaboration is even easier. These will offer a basis on which trust, which is a crucial success essential, will be developed.
