By: Allison McCarthy, MBA | amccarthy@barlowmccarthy.com
My holiday letter started with “It was the best of times; it was the worst of times…”. It seemed the perfect way to describe the year. But as a few of my colleagues recommended in recent blogs, I took time to review my calendar to reflect more fully on what happened in 2022.
I made two lists – one of the opportunities and the other of the challenges experienced during the year. I scanned them to see if I could identify any patterns or themes. And there it was – relationships! Whether I was coaching clients, reconnecting with former colleagues and clients, building a podcast library, celebrating my 30th wedding anniversary, attending a friend’s funeral, supporting former employees facing a layoff, or organizing the estate sale for my recently deceased neighbor, it was the relationships that made the opportunities brighter and the challenges more bearable.
Relationships take work. They require time and energy. And if deep enough, relationships can bring irritation and conflict. But I can confidently say that relationships bring real meaning to life – including professional satisfaction and success.
In this increasingly digital world, are we neglecting work-related relationships to expedite getting things done? In-person interactions bring texture and depth to the relationship experience.
During the pandemic, video meetings enabled us to function. Still, something was missing in these interactions – the ability to sense the other person’s energy, to see their entire body language, and to have their undivided attention. Technology was a gift when we had to be either isolated or face severe illness. It remains a resource to reduce travel costs, office space footprints, and initial connections that telephones and emails can’t deliver. But to build rich relationships – professional networks that support career success – we need in-person too.
It’s no surprise that the Harvard Business Review released a Special Issue in November titled The Rules of Networking. The first page is a message from the editors. “Building effective relationships is a requirement of good management and leadership. But research shows that people’s professional and personal networks shrank during the pandemic by close to 16%.” The issue then offers almost 25 distinct articles recommending a return to networking and how to do it strategically, operationally, and personally for maximum benefit.
Building and sustaining a network is the lifeblood of success. We can’t influence others if we don’t have a pulse on who they are and what matters to them. We don’t build trust without spending time in various situations demonstrating our trustworthiness. Being resilient through challenging times requires a community holding everyone together. And stable work teams only exist when relationships are prioritized and valued.
As we move into 2023, will one of your goals be to enrich the relationships in your network? How do you alter your interactions to ensure undivided attention, active listening, and the full power of the moment? Do you need to build new relationships to support your career advancement? And by year-end, will you look back and be able to say, “it was all about the relationships?”
I am excited about the year ahead as I continue to meet more and more people within my coaching practice. If you are looking for a coach in the coming year please don’t hesitate to reach out.