~by Haley Lynn Gray~
In my post about building relationships to build trust, I stated that you have to make deposits with people in order to build trust, and like. In most cases, people take a while to get to know each other. In a professional environment, you are putting people together who otherwise might never socialize with one another and expecting them to behave like professionals and actually work efficiently together. That means acting like a team, before you’ve actually gotten to that point in your mind, or your relationship. You had better be able to build those skills up quickly, so that you can build those relationships that you’re going to need to advance your career and lead your team or group. This is doubly important if you’re leading up or within the team, since you’re not already in a leadership position.
So what exactly does making deposits mean?
Making deposits can come in many formats, but it means making deposits in your relationship with others before making any withdrawals. That can mean things like picking up tasks on the team, writing up meeting notes and sending them out, or being especially observant or helpful. Anticipating what the other person might need or want is a great way to do this as well. Remember, you’re going to have to make between 7 and 10 deposits for every time you want to make a withdrawal. That’s a lot of deposits. You need to make a habit of making those deposits early and often.
People have to know you to like you. They have to trust you to follow you. Build on that, to become a better leader.
About the author
Haley Lynn Gray is the founder of Leadership Girl, of In2itive Biz Solutions, and of the Women’s Entrepreneur Network — a community of more than 77,000 women in business.
She writes here about what happens when running a business starts demanding that you lead one. More about Haley →
