Business Management Controls: Manage and Improve Your Business Relationships

Manage and Improve your Business Relationships

By John Kyriazoglou*

Managing your professional and business relationships is a very important and critical issue in dealing with your people (staff, partners, customers, authorities, colleagues, etc.) in any business environment. It takes a significant amount of time to build and can be broken in just an instant.

Is it possible to manage, improve and sustain your business relationships?

The answer is YES! But you have to ACT immediately.
Don’t let one or more mistakes in judgment turn into a failure of your character.

I would suggest that you take the actions and that you use the behavioral dimensions noted next:

1. Sensitivity. Show sensitivity by avoiding personal comments and do not criticize, condemn or complain to anyone.

2. Collaboration. Make your goal the habit to work together harmoniously, show patience and maintain good relationships with everyone (colleagues, supervisors, senior management, customers, authorities, etc.).

3. Honesty. Be interested in others (colleagues, supervisors, senior management, customers, etc.) with sincerity, always showing friendship, goodness and love to all.

4. Respect. Remember that it is the sweetest sound in any language when you address the other person with friendship and love.

5. Politeness. Address the other person always in plural terms, unless the other person allows you to speak in the singular.

6. Silence. Use silence appropriately. Be careful how long you talk so that you do not become wordy and boring.

7. Importance. Make the other person feel important to you, and you do that with sincerity.

8. Opinion. Show respect for the opinion of others and do not to tell them that they are wrong.

9. Errors. When you are in error, accept it quickly and emphatically and apologize with honesty.

10. Conversation. Start a conversation in a friendly and pleasant manner.

11. Sympathy. Express your sympathy to the other person.

12. Humor. Keep your humor within acceptable social boundaries while rejecting slander and vulgarities.
13. Appreciation. Relate to the other person by using praise, appreciation and honesty.

14. Time Management. Examine your activities in accordance with the values of love and friendship, and your obligations. Spend 60% of your time in critical non-emergency activities, 30% of your time in critical and emergency activities, and the remaining 10% of your time in uninteresting activities.

15. Rejection. Learn to say a friendly "no" when others attempt to load you with activities that are not aligned with your needs, your vision, your mission and your values.

16. Positive Thinking. Use positive and friendly thinking to manage all the events, issues, problems and facts related to your business life and take preventive action when it is required on your part.

17. Priority. Perform your activities based on the priorities set by you and the time requirements of your life, but also reinforcing the values of justice, goodness, fairness, love and friendship.

18. Participation. Participate in social groups, professional societies and corporate volunteering (unpaid) activities on the basis of love and friendship.

19. Ethics. Understand and know your personal limits and the limits of your business organization.

20. Quality. Do not take on more responsibility and tasks that you can do with absolute quality and execute your tasks and deliver your work, studies, services, etc., within well-accepted time and cost limits and best quality, technical and scientific standards.

Will these improve your relationships? Yes, if you act with honesty, love, friendship and self-control.

*John Kyriazoglou (jkyriazoglou@hotmail.com)

John Kyriazoglou, CICA, B.A (Hon-University of Toronto),

International IT and Management Consultant (with over 35 years of experience),

Editor-in-Chief for the Internal Controls Magazine, www.theiic.org

Author of several books:

(1) ‘IT Strategic and Operational Controls’, Publisher: www.itgovernance.co.uk

Direct Link: http://www.itgovernance.co.uk/products/3066

(2) ‘Addendum to IT Strategic & Operational Controls’

This book contains over 60 of IT audit programs and checklists in all IT audit areas.

Direct Link: www.itgovernance.co.uk/products/3143

(3) ‘Corporate Strategic and Operational Controls’, Publisher: www.theiic.org