Building good relationships with others certainly has more advantages than those with bad relationships.  Imagine the amount of negative energy that goes into a bad relationship and the multiplier effect that it generates.  Similarly, how much more synergy we can get if we can enjoy relating with each other and make a difference to the world we live.

As in my earlier articles,  I had shared the concept of Origami management from the perspective that one can get to an ideal state by first believe, then design and execute a series of continuous improvement actions to eventually arrive at that state.  There are fundamentals that one need to put in place in order for this process to be effective.  One of such key fundamentals is about fostering good relationships.

I like to share from a recent short article that I wrote for a magazine, using an acronym HUMBLE.  While I personally believe that to foster a healthy and good relationship, we need to be humble.  By putting away our pride, we are less likely to get into a bad relationship with anyone.  May I offer the following ways to foster a good relationship with another:

H – Honest:  Be upfront, frank and yet diplomatic with others.  Its not easy to say to others the truth as sometimes that hurt.  When we are frank and not diplomatic, we become blunt and that generates poor relationship.  Similarly, when we are diplomatic and not frank, we become evasive and that does not do service to the other person.  So we need to be both frank and diplomatic, speaking what needs to be said but in a way that is carefully arranged so that the person focuses on your content and not be affected by how it is being said to him.

U – Understand:  Get to know his likes and dislikes. Be sensitive to his needs and show genuine interest to know him.  Ask questions to learn more about his thoughts.  We tend to take the person for granted and think we know all about him.  Understanding another person reflects the depth of our relationship with that person.  Avoid making assumptions as that tend to kill one’s willingness to understand others.

M – Meet: Find opportunities to meet and connect with each other regularly.  Avoid emails where possible and connect with the person for better relationship building.  These days we tend to send electronic messages to each other and we become impersonal as a result of such practices.  When we meet face to face, we feel uneasy and end up silent, having nothing to talk to the other person.  Willingness to meet builds a stronger bond with that person.

B – Build trust:  Relationships make or break and depend on level of trusts.  It is difficult to build and very easy to destroy!  It takes time and effort and if done right,  will strengthen the relationship.

L – Lead:  Be proactive to maintain the relationship (especially if broken).  Taking that first step makes a lot of difference to an individual.  It reflects great humility and willingness to bond with another.

E – Engage:  Acknowledge his value and seek to work with him more often.  All of us has a built-in quality within us and yearns to be showcased to others.  Help each other find that quality and it makes the individual feel valued.  It also equips the individual for more opportunities to contribute to society.

Hope you will be successful with anyone you relate to….remember that we are not perfect ourselves…so do not expect others to be perfect.  By being humble, we will be able to build wonderful relationships with others.