I could never picture my life without my best friends. The amount of effort invested in keeping us together as well as the good times that have made our lives so enjoyable and real convinced me that there’s nothing more beautiful and rewarding than building long lasting friendships.
This got me thinking about commitments, our responsibilities when it comes to jobs and how much better we could handle them if we applied the same principles we use when building our friendships.
Let’s think about it: what would be the outcomes of treating your job the way you treat your BFF?
Sticking together both in good times and bad
I honestly think you are only a true friend when you strive to remain in someone’s life both in good times and bad ones – and this is not easy. But truth be told, that doesn’t necessarily matter, because what truly makes a difference in the long run is doing what’s right – and doing what’s right is usually the hardest part of the game.
The same principles apply to jobs: you can only be a truly dedicated team player if you are committed to your job both in times of success and team failure. And no, you’re not doing it because it’s easy, you’re doing it because it’s right, because it’s part of the journey, and because giving your best is the most relevant proof that you deserve to be part of the team.
So before calling it quits when the going gets tough in your team, think about the difference that you’d be able to make if you’d take the challenge and help them overcome this moment. Just like friendships, our jobs can sometimes involve hard work, but at the end of the day, it’s definitely worth it.
Giving them honest answers, because you know it’s for their own good
Friends are the best when it comes to giving you honest opinions and I think we have a lot to learn from that and apply to our everyday jobs. I personally believe that the temptation of distorting the truth so that we would seem kind and appreciative of our colleagues’ work can only create barriers in communication. Of course, that doesn’t mean we should be blunt about it – this just means we need to find an objective and respectful way of Helping people improve their idea.
If someone in your team asks for your honest opinion of their work, then telling the truth will save both you and your colleague. In the wider picture, you are helping them improve and also helping yourself by doing what is right. Just like in friendships, you should be able to count on your team with an honest feedback.
Working as a team no matter how bad things get
Nothing beats having trustworthy people around you that are willing to lend you a helping hand when you need it. That’s the beauty about friendships – no matter how difficult things get, you always have someone to count on.
The same should apply when it comes to helping out colleagues at work even if it’s not your direct responsibility to do so. When we help our friends out, we don’t do it because someone told us to, we do it because they need it, and because we want to help them build the best lives that they can have.
Great friendships as well as great work relationships happen if someone at some point knows how to give, and not just take. The sooner you do that, the faster you'll see how responsive people become with you in the future.
Being 150% involved when they need you
If you’re looking for great work effectiveness, you need to first truly care about work itself. Think of the times when your best friend asked you favors and how you’d be the first to provide the best possible solutions. Why? Because you cared.
The same applies when you’re being asked to deliver work-related tasks. Caring about your work has a direct impact on the quality of it. If you’re aiming for improvements, you’re probably already on the right track with evaluating it, so why not use that to deliver your best work?
To be realistic about it, there’s no such thing as a perfect friendship, much like there is no perfect job, but this doesn’t mean that either of the two are not worth investing in. The most rewarding outcome of it all is that, at the end of the day, you get to experience a one of a kind journey and you’ll never be alone during it.
Andreea Clair:
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