Are you in the relationship business? Of course you are. Everyone who has to work with, deal with, sell to, convince, is! Unless youre on a deserted island, you must connect with, interact, and influence people every single day. Building relationships today mean better business tomorrow.

Successful business and professional leaders know their #1 objective is getting their quality products and services out the door to those who will buy or use them. Unfortunately no leader can just wave a wand and make it happen. They have to rely on people-employees to work with them, vendors to supply them and customers to come to them. These leaders are not just good but GREAT at building relationships because they practices these three rules.

Rule #1:
Its what you think. Not surprisingly, successful leaders strongly believe in the value of building relationships with others inside and out of their organization. If they didnt think relationships make a difference to their professional or personal success, then why would they make the effort? Connecting with others is high on their priority list. How much effort are you making to connect with others?

Rule #2:
Its what you pay attention to. Successful leaders make the time to get to know others, ask about their problems and acknowledge their ideas. Identifying shared interests, experiences and goals develops rapport and also builds long-term trust. Are you taking the time to really get to know your staff, co-workers, suppliers and customers?

Rule #3:
Its what you do. The art of relationship building is like a simple piece of string. Pull it and itll follow you wherever you want. Push it and it will go nowhere. The same concept applies when it comes to influencing others. Super leaders build allies not enemies. They are approachable, have a knack to tune in accurately to the needs of others and, most importantly, follow through. Do you build allies or enemies with those who you need t inspire, influence, or do business with?

Remember, winning relationships are keys to professional success. Skill in building and maintaining business relationships are valuable not only to sales people but to everyone from the shop floor to the top floor and everything in between.

Take a Quick Look.
Think of someone whom you have a great relationship with - a friend, neighbor, co-worker, client, or even a boss. What makes it great? Why is this relationship important to you? What do you do to make it work? What does the other person do to make it work? How can you take this learning and apply it to other relationships you have in your personal and professional life?

Marcia Zidle

Marcia Zidle, M.S. N.C.C., the ?people smarts? coach, works with business, government and community leaders to quickly solve their people management headaches so they can concentrate on their #1 job ? to grow and increase profits. Her services include:

• What Really Works Handbooks ? resources for managers and supervisors on the front line
• Power-by-the-Hour Programs ? fast, convenient, real life, affordable courses for leadership and staff development
• Your Strategic Partner ? support to leaders who are in positions of high expectations, high visibility and high payoff.

Marcia is founder of Leadership Hooks, a business coaching company, which helps executive teams, operations managers, business owners and agency directors to move their organizations from seat-of-the-pants to feet-on-the-ground leadership.

She brings over 20 years experience from a wide variety of workplace settings, countries, and industries including: health care, financial services, professional practices, automotive and light manufacturing, energy, pharmaceuticals, telecommunications, event management, education, non-profits, local and state government.

Finally, Marcia's ?claim to fame? is experiencing expatriate living with her family in Scandinavia and Australia. She has traveled in over 30 countries throughout Europe, the Middle East, Far East, and South Pacific. She welcomes invitations to speak internationally so that she can add to her growing list of interesting places to explore.