Intern Insight: Guest Post by Intern Alex Christensen
As a newbie in the business world, I’m just beginning to see the importance of relationship management. I’ve always valued my friendships, but my first steps into a post-college world have only solidified my opinions of the value of quality over quantity. If I want to have a successful career in any field, the thing that matters most is how I treat people. I’ve had a lot of opportunities come my way just because of the rapport I’ve established with others.
Those of my generation need to understand the value of building and nurturing relationships. The Internet has had a negative impact on people's approach to building relationships. I think social media skews our perceptions; value is placed on quantity and numeric measurements, such as the number of friends, followers, and subscribers one may have.
The meaning of the word relationship has also changed. People think that just clicking an “Add Friend” or “Like” button creates a relationship. Connecting with others on a social media platform may begin a relationship, but that relationship doesn’t mean anything unless a person takes measures to build on the initial connection. I know I’ve been guilty of this; I’ve been to networking events, gotten business cards, connected on LinkedIn, and that was the sum of my interaction with them.
In the past year, I’ve come to understand that’s not how it works. Sure, I met some great people, but I did nothing to establish a real connection. I got nothing out of those bonds I only began to create. This actually hinders professional growth rather than helps it. As for me, I have changed the way I approach new relationships because of these experiences, but I am in the minority.
Today’s students, not only business majors, would benefit from courses on relationship management. Whether a whole class or just a segment of a course’s curriculum that focuses on the why and how of building effective professional relationships, it would go far toward better equipping tomorrow’s professionals. The ability to manage relationships enables success and inspires people to want to help others as they realize the long-term benefits of making investments in others.
Some might say that this idea ridiculous because creating value in friendships and relationships is common sense. From what I observe on my university campus, it’s not common at all. Most young people have no idea how to do it. Technology, the Internet, and social media foster the idea of a “me-centric” universe over a “you-centric” one.
Unless we do something to change the mindsets of younger generations, we’re going to continue to create a very selfish world. My generation doesn’t have the experience of using pen and paper to manage relationships, much less the days of meeting face-to-face. I think that truly puts us at a disadvantage. If we don’t understand the building blocks of relationship management, the foundation of our careers could crumble beneath us.
