I Like People

When people ask me, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Or “What do you want or like to do?” I can’t give a straight answer. I mean, I don’t even know what I’m going to have for breakfast tomorrow or where I will be in a year, but I do tell them with certainty, “I love people. I like working with people – collaborating and building relationships.”

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Too broad? Maybe, but I like to stick to what I know, right now. I know I’m not an analytical, engineering type. I’m an ENFP. I communicate and intuitively work with people to understand their mannerisms, ask how I can help, give back and create beneficial, two-way relationships. I thrive off of it. It’s something I know I am good at but still challenges me at the same time.

Currently, my work is about building relationships, establishing trust, helping publishers and bloggers grow, monetize and find functionality with a tool that benefits not only them as a publisher, but their readership.

In the past, I helped run events (weddings, private parties, fundraisers, etc.), worked in public relations on the agency side and in consumer products. All of which, encouraged me to be customer-facing, interacting with users, clients and the public.

Through interacting in a professional sense, through the last eight years I’ve had my share of mishaps with people where I have to pinch myself at being naive and believing that you can’t always trust their spoken or written word, selfishness is still prevalent and the bottom line creeps in versus remembering about the quality of the relationship, not only the end result or dollars.

Since I like people, this (in my experience), is what people perpetually teach me:

• Treat others as you would want to be treated. It seems so simple. Interacting professionally and personally – would you want to be snapped at, disrespected or lied to? No. Don’t do that to someone else. If they don’t deserve your respect or are cumbersome to work with, re-evaluate and maybe it means you don’t do business with them. Sometimes it’s as simple as bringing everyone bagels and coffee to your morning meeting with a client or ensuring you bring SWAG like a t-shirt or stickers. A little something extra, feels good to anyone.

• Good news travels fast, bad news travels faster. I’ve asked my boss about this in our hundreds of business interactions about trust and the quality of a person. He (my boss) says that eventually, the word gets out (about said untrusted person) and eventually, no one will want to do business with them. It’s empty business with a lackluster relationship. People talk, bad stories spread.

• Relationships last. The relationships you’ve built in the past, currently and for the future are important – if you make them important. I like to keep in touch with previous bosses, mentors and even clients. It’s not fake, it’s more like, “Just wanted to drop a note, hope all is well.” Or, “Just noticed you started a new job, congratulations, would love to hear more.” You never know when someone along the line will help you out or your business goals may realign. This ‘rolodex’ will be invaluable to every career and job move you take. Keep them in your back pocket, and no, I don’t believe in burning bridges.

• Ask questions, care to hear the answer and listen. This is a general rule with all relationships. If you don’t care to hear the answer, ask yourself why you’re there in the first place? I don’t know any other way but to be genuine, maybe that’s a fault (some might say) but like I said in Networking Awesomely,  “I remember the little details; that they love lobster, reading Tolstoy, or that trip they took to Thailand.” Small details like this go far. I appreciate it when people care and I keep track of each of my clients hometown, what they’re doing and even their family or interests. I care, they appreciate.

• Understand their needs. People love to pitch, talk about their product, their latest project and what they’re doing. Before you jump into all that, find out if they need what you’ve got. How can you help them and they help you? Maybe only a piece of what you offer is relevant to them, speak to that piece. We’re all busy, make the time you interact worth it and highlight what’s relevant.

• Smiling goes further than you would ever realize. A nice smile (this is in person, although I swear I can “hear” smiles on the phone) is contagious. Smiles lift your mood. As a study and article in Time Magazine states, “The face isn’t a pressure-relief valve. It is more like a thermostat. When you turn down the setting, the machinery inside has to do less work.” Remember to smile, it uplifts you inwardly (your brain) and those who get to see your smile.

So how do you interact with people? What are some of the rules you always abide by to ensure a healthy, beneficial working relationship?