Not long ago I was talking with a friend of mine that works for a company that is currently going through an exercise that has become fairly standard operating procedure today: management is trying to figure out how to trim operating costs while still producing the same quality product and delivering even better customer service. (Sound familiar?)
To help with this analysis, all employees were asked to complete two short questions.
Question 1 – List five people in the company with whom you interact the most.
Question 2 - List five people in the company who you feel are most important to your ability to do your job well.
On the surface, this doesn’t sound like too hard of an assignment. Relatively straightforward and simple to complete.
Actually the only reason my friend brought it up was because she was surprised that her two lists were so different.
This sparked my curiosity and got me thinking. And I filled out my two lists about a corporate position I held a while back.
How about you? Wonder what your two lists would look like?
Well, why don’t you take a minute and answer the two questions.
(I’ll wait right here!)
So, what did you find out? Do your lists overlap or are they different? Were you surprised?
Whether you were surprised or not, why is this significant?
Well, in the context of doing business, we encounter a wide variety of types of relationships - clients, team members, support people, assistants and bosses. And we can classify them in many different ways – frequency of interaction, significance, direct, indirect, involved or peripheral. But they all have something in common.
They are all relationships. And relationships are maintained and strengthened when they are acknowledged and when something of similar perceived value is exchanged.
So, if you were to take one simple step today to acknowledge and nurture the relationships on your lists, what would you do? How can you show people you have a business relationship with that you value them?
How about giving this a try to see how it works for you: Pick one person from your second list that surprised you or that took a little longer to pin point. At some point today, stop by their office or desk, or give them a call, and tell them thank you for making it easier for you to do your job well. Don’t worry about telling them how they do that….just tell them thank you.
A genuine thank you is always a good start!
Just Imagine That!
