A client made the above statement in a recent session, and it was a powerful reminder. What makes us all successful is the strength of our relationships with people.
Think about your relationships in business. You have customers, vendors, partners, direct reports and coworkers. Each of these relationships is part of your success. If you’re not getting the results you’re looking for, look at your relationships. Are they strong or not?
All of your business relationships should be about helping first. Ask yourself, “Am I reaching out? Am I helping those I have a relationship with? You have to genuinely care about these people. Sometimes, it means talking about everything but business. I find that I’m able to manage about 35 business relationships really well. When I get above that number I start letting people down. Some people are great with 10 relationships. Others, 200. Everyone’s magic number is a little bit different. Figure out what yours is. Identify how many you’re good at, and manage them well.
Now, regardless of what your magic number is, pick the top 10. List them, and then ask yourself: “Do I have a strong relationship with each and every one?” If the answer is “no,” take action. Reach out.
