Winning Words

Building winning relationships at home and at work

Column by Michael Norton
Posted 4/22/20

Relationships at home are being strengthened during our time of quarantine and isolation as we get reacquainted with our family. Relationships are also being tested as we know that old saying, …

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

Username
Password
Log in

Don't have an ID?


Print subscribers

If you're a print subscriber, but do not yet have an online account, click here to create one.

Non-subscribers

Click here to see your options for becoming a subscriber.

If you made a voluntary contribution in 2023-2024 of $50 or more, but do not yet have an online account, click here to create one at no additional charge. VIP Digital Access includes access to all websites and online content.


Our print publications are advertiser supported. For those wishing to access our content online, we have implemented a small charge so we may continue to provide our valued readers and community with unique, high quality local content. Thank you for supporting your local newspaper.
Winning Words

Building winning relationships at home and at work

Posted

Relationships at home are being strengthened during our time of quarantine and isolation as we get reacquainted with our family. Relationships are also being tested as we know that old saying, “Familiarity breeds contempt.” Relationships at work are also being strengthened as people are stepping up their virtual communication game and figuring out how to work productively and positively while working from home. Yet some relationships at work are suffering as the remote working scenarios are not working out as planned.

If you have figured out how to deepen your relationships at home and at work, I encourage you to stay on your path, and maybe share with others some of your secrets. In this brief column, I hope to share a few insights when it comes to building winning relationships at home and at work. You will recognize that some of the things that help create a winning relationship from home and at work are really the same things.

When I hear of relationships that are struggling, whether it be at home or at work, one of the most common topics that comes out is a lack of communication. Are we over-communicating? Are we under-communicating? Have we gone totally silent and counting on grunts and groans to send our message? And when we are communicating, are we making sure that we are truly listening? Are we listening with the same passion that we want to be heard? Are we talking with our family and our remote associates? Or are we talking at our family and remote associates?

My guidance has always been to look for the good when communicating. Too often we are looking for an opening to provide an answer or some kind of comeback. When we look for the good, we will find the good. When we listen to understand, we will earn trust. When we communicate in a way that allows our family, friends, and associates to be heard, we start building winning relationships. Communication is so very important as it is one of the primary ways that we share information and feelings.

Gratitude is next on the list, as it’s been said that gratitude is one of the strongest human emotions. Showing gratitude lets those around us know just how important they are to us and how much we truly appreciate them. We can communicate gratitude in so many ways; saying please and thank you; providing recognition of a job well done; letting our loved ones know how much we love them; doing something for others that they are fully capable of doing for themselves, just to show them we care about them.

We discussed communication and gratitude, now let’s add one more for today, and that is love. Not just the romantic kind of love, but love and kindness for those in our homes and who we work with. Love and respect for all the people making sure we can still get food and other essentials. Love and awe for the people working so hard in health care and on the front lines. Unconditional love and unconditional forgiveness for anyone who may have offended us or hurt us. Replace any feelings of anger or blame about this virus and the economy with the feelings of love, kindness, respect, gratitude, forgiveness, and hope. Borrowing from the Bible and 1st Corinthians 13:13, “And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.”

When we take the time to really communicate, find ways to show our gratitude and appreciation, and learn to love on our families, friends, loved ones, coworkers, customers, and partners, we will have an awesome foundation for building winning relationships at home and at work.

So how about you? My hope is that all the relationships in your life are strong and happy. If you could use a little help with communication, showing gratitude, or living in the spirit of love, I would love to hear from you at mnorton@tramazing.com. And when we learn how to build winning relationships at home and at work, it really will be a better than good week.

Michael Norton is the grateful CEO of Tramazing.com, a personal and professional coach, and a consultant, trainer, encourager and motivator to businesses of all sizes.

Michael Norton

Comments

Our Papers

Ad blocker detected

We have noticed you are using an ad blocking plugin in your browser.

The revenue we receive from our advertisers helps make this site possible. We request you whitelist our site.