Examining the elements that forge lasting relationships

Relationships are bonds that connect two or more concepts, objects, or people. Whether it be in business or our personal lives, relationships are connections that everyone must navigate, and preferably learn to navigate well. Relationships can be rewarding, fulfilling, lucrative, beneficial; as well as, damaging, fear inducing, uncertain, challenging. The list of superlatives that we can attribute to relationships is ostensibly innumerable. With the understanding that relationships drive our organizations forward, we would do well to discern a “word of antiquity” that is still relevant today.

“A fool gives full vent to his spirit, but a wise man quietly holds it back.”

Emotions

Emotions, or states of mind, can be derived from our relationships with others. It has been said that emotions cannot evoke certain thoughts, but thoughts can evoke certain emotions. If we were to focus our thoughts on a successful sales meeting, it would certainly bring about feelings of gratification, success, accomplishment, happiness. When we spend a quality evening with our spouse, and as a result feel “happiness”, our thoughts are far from our successful sales meeting. So, we can understand that our thoughts have a direct reflection on our emotions. This is very important in business relationships.

At times, you may hear someone being described as “a person who wears their emotions on their sleeve”. Is this advantageous in business relationships? I suggest that at times it may be detrimental. When engaged in business relationships, it is not a question of “Will I have a challenging relationship, but when”. When faced with a client-relationship that is perched in a precarious position, the adage “calmer heads will prevail” is paramount. Would it be wise to respond, in kind, to a client’s frustration with your service or product? What is to be gained by “having the last word”, beyond personal satisfaction, especially when dollars and cents are on the line?

Upon entering a sales or client meeting, it is important to spend a few moments focusing the mind on positive thoughts. We may face objections by the prospective buyer, how we respond can make the difference between closing a sale and not closing a sale; continuing a business relationship and not continuing a business relationship. In established business relationships, it also can be paramount to future successes to temper our responses in the face of accusations and objections.

Next time, we will look at “giving full vent to our spirit and how to ‘quietly’ hold it back”.

Thanks for exploring with me!

Ryan Clift