Importance of Getting to Know Your Team

• Reach Out: It's tempting to "not want to bother people," but one of the best ways to get to know your manager and team is to reach out at the start and schedule time on their calendars. 
  
  

• Share About Yourself: Being a professional doesn't mean keeping your thoughts and personality to yourself. Sharing your goals, experiences, and interests humanizes you for the team, and allows them the space to share the same.
  
  
• Listen & Follow Up: As humans, we're often not the best listeners, so you can be overly prepared and impress your team by just listening to what they are saying. Engage with them in conversation and follow up with any needed action items. Most importantly, tell them what and why you appreciate them - a thank you at the end of a week can go a long way!
  
  
• Understand Cultural Backgrounds, Personal Goals and Interests: This will help you build stronger relationships, and also help you understand how to best communicate with them. It will also make them feel more valued and respected.
  
  
• Give It Time: It's important to remember that building relationships takes time and effort. Make an effort to schedule regular team-building activities, such as lunch or coffee breaks, or even attend events outside of work together.
  
  

Getting to know your team members can lead to a more positive and productive work environment. When team members have a good understanding of each other's strengths and weaknesses, they can work together more effectively and efficiently. Building relationships with your team members can also lead to better communication, collaboration, and problem-solving. Taking the time to get to know your team members can also lead to greater job satisfaction. When we have positive relationships with our manager and team members, we feel more connected to our work and more motivated to do our best.

Getting to know your manager and team members is essential for success in the workplace. Building strong relationships can lead to a more positive and productive work environment, better communication and collaboration, and greater job satisfaction. Take the time to invest in building relationships with your manager and team members, and you will be rewarded with a more fulfilling and successful career... And who knows, you may make some great friends in the process too!