3 tips for working with people whom there are different kinds of 'clicks'

During your career you will work with both colleagues and customers with whom you have different kinds of ‘clicks’. With some people there is both a personal and professional ‘click’, with some there is a professional ‘click’, with some there is no ‘click’ at all. Let’s explore these three themes.

* There is both a personal and professional ‘click’.

You share similar values and have a similar view of the world. Connection is easy, because you start from common assumptions. You therefore begin at 7/10 - which provides a springboard for getting to 10/10. Let’s consider how you can build with such people, beginning with colleagues. Who are the colleagues with whom you share similar values? How can you help them to succeed? How can you co-operate to achieve success?

“During the past 15 years I have co-operated on several projects with two colleagues I met when working at my first company,” said one person. “Since then we have set-up and sold two online companies. We know each other - warts and all. We also know how to work with each other’s strengths and weaknesses. People describe me as a ‘serial entrepreneur’. Wherever I go, however, I will always take these two people.”

Let’s move onto your customers. Who are the customers with whom you get on well? What are their personality characteristics? How can you do more work with these customers? How can you help them to succeed? Of course, they may recommend you to similar kinds of customers, but that should not be forced. Providing you do good work, it may well happen naturally. Looking at both colleagues and customers, try completing the following sentences.

The people with whom I have both a personal & professional click are:

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The specific things I can do to build with these people are:

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* There is a professional ‘click’.

You may find this happens when you co-operating with somebody in your professional life. Whilst having differing personalities, you both strongly believe in achieving the goal. Many famous comic partnerships in show business, for example, comprised of people who seldom saw each other socially. Once on stage, however, they produced fine performances. Similarly, you may have customers with whom there is little social talk or banter. It is quickly down to the matter in hand.

You will probably take several steps to manage such relationships. a) You will prepare properly. Looking ahead to any interaction, you will ask yourself: “What will be the person’s goals? What will they want to achieve in the short, medium and long term? How can I help them to succeed?” b) You will be professional. For example, when starting a meeting you will double-check what they want to achieve in the session. You will also make crystal clear contracts about what must be delivered by when. c) You will keep your promises, reassure the person and deliver the agreed results. Try completing the following sentences.

The people with whom I have a professional click are:

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The specific things I can do to perform good work with these people are:

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* There is no ‘click’.

Sometimes you find yourself in work situations where there is absolutely no connection between you and the other person. It is best to avoid such problems, but circumstances may mean it is necessary to work together to achieve a specific goal. You may feel on guard and unable to relax. How to deal with such difficulties? You will aim to be absolutely super-professional. It will be hard work: because you must rehearse every situation, be fully alert and always make crystal clear contracts. Similarly, you may prepare yourself for getting no positive feedback, possibly getting criticised even when you deliver the goods. Try completing the following sentences.

The professional situations where I may be with people with whom there is no click are:

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The specific things I can do to be super professional in these situations are:

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We frequently do our best work with kindred spirits - but that is not always possible. It is therefore useful to clarify your strategies for working with different types of people. You are then more able to do good work in different situations.