How To: Build Relationships at Work

(cheerful music) - Building relationships across an organization is critical to your success in your career. This works two ways. First, developing relationships across your company or organization, whether it's with operations, legal, marketing and PR, product development or business affairs, it allows you to learn more about what those functions do, and it makes you more valuable as you move throughout your career.

Secondly, as great as many of us are in promoting clients, our brands, or our employers, those of us in PR, marketing, communications, and many related fields, we're pretty terrible about promoting ourselves and our value. So, if you build relationships across your organization and you're very clear about how your work brings value, it helps elevate the field that you're in, and then, you're often given a better chance of having a seat at the table in terms of business discussions or strategic planning. So, how do you do this?

First step, introduce yourself. Don't assume that people know who you are. Go ahead and say hello, introduce yourself, and explain what you do.

Make friends with the people that you work with across your company. Ask your boss if you could be put on a cross-functional project or team, and when you hear about someone's great work, congratulate them and tell them that you hope to be working with them soon on something new and exciting.