Relational Intelligence

Relational intelligence is not some new concept, but it is one that I've been hearing more and more about in recent months. What is it you ask? It's common sense really. If you are nice to someone, they are more likely to be nice to you. This is just another example of the Golden Rule here, wisdom as old as time itself basically. So, why the resurgence of interest in studying relational intelligence? I'll tell you my thoughts on the matter. For many years we've all heard the phrase, "It's not personal, it's just business." Well, as a friend of mine recently pointed out, that catch phrase actually came from the 1972 movie Godfather. Honestly, do we believe that taking advice from movie mafia gangsters is going to make us successful? I think not. The whole point of business is people.

By that I mean, business is there to do one of two things... to provide a product to a person or to provide a service to a person. Either way, business is all about people helping people for monetary gain. The motives behind creating the business don't have to be like those of Mother Teresa, but whether a business is for profit or not, it is there to provide something for someone. Knowing that people are involved in every business, doesn't it make sense to put some effort into caring for people? THEY ARE your business! So yes, business is personal. It is personal to the employee who needs the job to pay the bills to care for his or herself and to provide for family. The product or service purchased is personal for the customer too. They want good service and good products. Have you ever noticed though... even when the product is not great... people will still buy it if it offers either convenience or that "feel-good" something to go with it sometimes known as great customer service! Just imagine if you have a great product or service coupled with great customer service! The possibilities are endless!

So whether you are a CEO, an entry level employee, or an HR professional... remember... BUSINESS IS ALL ABOUT PEOPLE! Be mindful of your relationships with people and make every effort to build mutually beneficial positive relationships if you want to be successful.