Developing Resilient Relationships
Over 85% of our personal and financial success stems not from our technical skills, but from our ability to have positive interpersonal relationships.
Whether it’s with a colleague, customer, spouse, boss, friend, or family member, chances are, you’ve had a misunderstanding with someone at one point or another. I generally find that the root cause of most communication, relationship and team problems share a couple of common denominators…differing perspectives and miscommunication.
While there’s no way to completely eliminate misunderstandings, there are absolutely ways to minimize them. Try these techniques to help develop resilient relationships:
1. Use the magic of behavior styles.
Your behavior style impacts the way you manage stress, deal with conflict, and so much more. Identifying the characteristics of each style, and being willing to modify your own, is one of the best “communication hacks” I’ve ever learned. Want to know your style?
2. Aim for conflict, not combat.
Conflict occurs when people don’t see eye to eye about an issue, situation, or goal. Combat, on the other hand, is when conflict becomes personal. Ask yourself this question: “Is it more important for me to be right or to get it right?”
3. Focus on Gratitude
We tend to get frustrated when people don’t meet our expectations when, in reality, most of the time we haven’t even clearly communicated what our expectations are. Look for what people do right. It’s hard to resent someone when you are appreciating them.
Remember, it is up to you to set and communicate expectations. Every time you find yourself getting frustrated with someone this week, ask yourself if you set clear expectations and communicated with them effectively. If not, take a deep breath, step back, and try again.
For more on how to improve your relationships, check out my book 52 Strategies for Life, Love & Work: Transforming your life one week at a time.
-Anne
P.S. Like us on Facebook….because there’s not a “love” button!
ANNE’S RESILIENCE VIDEO NEW FOR 2019!
HOW RESILIENT ARE YOU?
We live in a world where we are bombarded with information, saturated with stimulation, and overloaded with deadlines, tasks, and deliverables. Demanding schedules, competing priorities, and a never ending list of to-do’s have made stress and burnout common place. Stress is the leading cause of heart disease, depression, anxiety, diabetes, high blood pressure, and a whole host of other ailments, and it has literally become a public health epidemic.
Resilience Training & Productivity
The good news is that research has found a way to help combat the many challenges associated with stress, and companies that practice this are more productive, more profitable, and higher performing as a result. More and more organizations are turning to resilience training to help their employees manage stress, navigate change, and overcome obstacles and setbacks.
Resilience Is A Skill That Can Be Learned
Resilience is not a personality trait but rather a set of skills and habits that can be developed and honed, and there are skills, behaviors, and attitudes that can be learned. For example, research has consistently shown a link between job satisfaction and the degree to which managers express gratitude to employees. Gratitude affects your brain at a neurological level, producing serotonin and dopamine (the brain’s feel good neurotransmitters), and reduces cortisol (our stress & “fight or flight” response). Practicing mindfulness has been found to significantly impact and improve the part of the brain responsible for memory, attention, and emotional regulation.
One size does not fit all. Learn a ton of cool ways to build your courage resilience.
This is a resilience revolution, and it starts with you!
Anne Grady is a Speaker, Author, and #TruthBomb Dropper.
Anne shares practical strategies that can be applied both personally and professionally to improve relationships, navigate change, and triumph over adversity. And she’ll make you laugh while she does it. Anne is a two time TEDx speaker, and her work has been featured in numerous media outlets, including Harvard Business Review, Entrepreneur, Forbes, Fast Company and Inc. magazines, CNN, ESPN, and FOX Business. She is the best selling author of 52 Strategies for Life, Love & Work and Strong Enough: Choosing Courage, Resilience and Triumph.