Fostering and Maintaining Strong Relationships

Strong and meaningful relationships are essential to our well-being as humans while also remaining key factors in the success of many businesses.  Relationships can give us a stronger sense of purpose and even reduce stress, but a good relationship takes work, be it a personal relationship or a business one.  Here are ways to manage your relationships and ensure that you are putting your best foot forward.

1. Make one-on-one time a priority.  We are all short on time and there are so many distractions that exist in our world today.  Be sure, however, that you are prioritizing time with the people that you care about and give them your undivided attention.  Put time in your day to give someone a phone call or invite someone to go to lunch with you (or virtually have lunch together).  Giving someone your complete attention creates a more positive environment and shows how much you genuinely care about the relationship.
2. Make an effort to improve your communication skills.  Along with giving someone your undivided attention, it is imperative that you are able to pick up on both verbal and nonverbal communication.  Improving your communication skills can prevent misunderstandings and bring people closer together.  So next time you are with someone, pay attention as they speak, ask open-ended questions.  If you are unclear on something, do not jump to conclusions, ask for more details and get clarification.
3. Focus on positive ideas and commonalities between you and the people you know.  Researchers have found that positive and beneficial ideas and behaviors spread more quickly than negative ones.  This does not mean to ignore all issues within a relationship, which will be discussed next, but to make sure to make a habit of focusing on positive things, such as something that is commonly enjoyed by both parties or among a group of people.
4. Be sure to address issues as soon as they arise.  In all relationships, there are points during which conflict will arise.  You do not want to ignore these problems because they will become larger issues further down the road.  Considering the other person’s point of view is a necessary part of maintaining a strong relationship and it will allow you to understand them more.
5. Show that you support the goals of others.  Find out what they wish to accomplish and even offer to help them achieve their goals.  
6. Express your appreciation for the relationships that you have in your life.  Let the important people in your life know that they are important and thank them for being there for you and all that they do.  
7. Listen to others and develop empathy for others.  Remember the words of Maya Angelou, “They may forget what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel”. 
8. Finally, remove toxic relationships from your life.  Healthy relationships take effort and energy but they also give back energy.  Those are the relationships that you want to strengthen.  Toxic relationships only take away while not giving anything back to you.  Maintaining toxic relationships takes all of your energy and time so that you are unable to focus on healthy ones.  Therefore, be sure to cut out any toxic relationships that are no longer benefiting you.