Building Professional Relationships

I recently took a lateral move to a new division so building relationships is top of mind. This article offers three solid strategies for becoming friends with co-workers remotely that really resonate right now:

1. Signal who you are - People offer tidbits of information about themselves all day so I am being intentional by writing down what I learn from those signals and offering them myself. This information has helped me make connections with several colleagues, creating a great foundation for our new relationships. 2. Make time for friends - I have been making a point to speak with colleagues rather than emailing them. This allows for a few minutes of chatting about non-work topics, which goes a long way. 3. Do nice things for others - This one is tougher in a virtual environment, but offering help where possible means a lot. Last week, a colleague and I discussed ideas for virtually training new team members, which was way outside the scope of our scheduled meeting. I was able to offer her some new ideas that helped me train my replacement, and it too has set up a foundation for our relationship going forward.