Wouldn’t you agree that life is about quality connections? Our success, happiness, and well-being are largely the by products of our ability to get along well with others and cultivate positive relationships. Below is a checklist of the active ingredients in creating enduring connections. These are from the book, “Get Along with Anyone, Anytime, Anywhere … 8 keys to creating enduring connections with customers, co-workers … even kids” by Arnold Sanow and Sandra Strauss
- Make people your passion
- Be interested, not just interesting
- Be a conscious connector in building positive relationships
- Boost good feelings in others
- Communicate with care
- Engage the interest of others by focusing on what interests them
- Approach each interaction with positive intent
- Take the initiative to reach out to others first
- Project a positive presence
- Be attentive
- Express empathy
- Build trust; mean what you say, and say what you mean
- Adapt how you communicate to best serve what others need
- Act in ways that make people feel valued
- Give feedback tactfully and receive it willingly
- Create a sense of safety and openness
- Mend misunderstandings
- Keep an open mind
- Seek to understand how others see a situation
- Acknowledge and honor the feelings of others
- Monitor and master your emotions
- Hear people out
- Drop any need to “be right”
- Let go of grudges
- Manage difficult interactions with effective strategies
- Greet people with a smile
- Open your heart when it closes
- Seek peace when others don’t
- Be responsive to what others want or need
- Respect differences
- Let words of caring and kindness work magic
- Don’t take anyone for granted
- Thank people for their help, their time, their service, their thoughtfulness, their caring, and their support
- Act as a catalyst to help others get what they want
- Praise positive behaviors
- Energize the winning spirit
- Make the right choices to create desired outcomes
- Give people credit for their ideas
- Express a dazzling attitude, even when it’s difficult
- Resolve conflicts with diplomacy
- Build bridges that join; remove walls that separate
- Release negative labels (of yourself or others)
- Speak your truth
- Accept responsibility; avoid playing the blame game
- Forgive others (and yourself) for flubs, faux pas, and foibles
- Light the way with laughter
- Project a cooperative spirit
- Express enthusiasm
- Encourage the expression of gifts, talents and personal excellence
- Model the behaviors you want others to express
- Handle every connection with care and keep them in good repair