Don’t Get Caught in “Relationship Overdraft”

Relationships are the most valuable aspect of our personal and business lives. Our own ‘personality cocktail’ drives a varied mix of situational behaviours. Genuine caring and empathy ultimately create a trusting and long-lasting relationship. Common sense stuff, but similar to a bank account, relationships require ‘deposits’ that must exceed potentially negative ‘withdrawals’ over time. Deposits’ include those simple acts of kindness and caring that build up your ‘interpersonal bank account’.

Early in my career, a senior VP mailed a positive, hand-written note…and then 25 years later (long retired) he sent a similar note when I had been promoted to a senior level role in another organization…WOW! Such a kind, powerful gesture that will never be forgotten…but ask yourself, how much effort did that really take?

Mutual respect built over the longer term (‘deposits’) will protect your relationship from overdraft, making forgiveness a natural outcome, keeping your ‘interpersonal bank account’ from ever being in overdraft. As the saying goes, ‘you get what you give’….being respectful and empathetic to others is what this is all about….or simply stated; be respectful, be thoughtful, be nice!