Supporting your colleagues

Good people skills can make all the difference between success and failure at work. Make your new motto "Who cares, wins..."

Show an interest—not only in a colleague's work but also in his or her personal life. Making disclosures about yourself is one way to encourage people to reciprocate. This will help to engender trust. However, remember there is a fine line between showing an interest and being perceived as overly intrusive.

Treat people as individuals—sounds obvious, but you have to find out what makes your colleagues "tick." If people appear unhappy or unmotivated you need to find out why. If you are in a position to change things then do so.

Be inclusive—Don't be selective when you develop relationships at work. The golden rule is to treat everyone with the same level of respect, regardless of his or her position.

Provide positive feedback—People need to feel valued and respected for them to operate at their optimal level. Giving them positive feedback is often a great way to show interest.

Give people constructive criticism—Show people what you would like them to do rather than tell them off for what they have not done.

Empathize with colleagues—If you are having a dispute with one of your colleagues, try to put yourself in his or her shoes and see things from the other person's point of view. This will not always solve the problems, but it should make you more aware of any issues involved.

Believe the clichés—For example, it is often said that you should be nice to people on the way up because you never know who you will meet on the way down. Never underestimate a cliché, because most of them contain more than an element of truth.

Source: Randall Deich, NESS Program Facilitator