Relationships ? Do we need them?

There are a number of different types of relationships that we can have. The definition of a ?relationship? is: 1) the state of being connected or related, 2) association by blood or marriage, 3) the mutual dealings, connections or feelings that exist between two parties, countries, people, etc. Are you in a relationship today with someone? What have you done that has made this relationship successful? Perhaps a better question to ask is whether or not the relationship that you have is a solid one with both parties contributing to the success.

You are perhaps wondering where this idea to write about relationships came from. I was recently asked to prepare a presentation on relationships but with a focus on sports. An example of this would be to determine what sort of relationship exists between a coach and an assistant coach, or between the athlete and the coach, or the coach and the parent. Each of these interaction points can and should be deemed a relationship. How successful they are is another story. As with any relationship communication is the key to how successful the relationship is going to be.

Take a look at the relationship you have with someone that you are very close to. Are you able to communicate effectively with this person at any given time? Do you find that you have to internalize a lot of your thoughts and feelings rather than putting them on the table to be discussed. How does that make you feel when you have to keep all those negative feelings inside? How is that impacting your relationship overall? Now in the case of the sports relationship can the same questions be posed? Communication is the key to the success of a relationship no matter what type of a relationship it is or who you have that relationship with! If you have not developed a trusted relationship and one that is based on openness and honesty then you will not be successful in this relationship.

When I think of some of the relationships that I have had both on a personal and professional basis it was evident that the success or failure rested on our ability to be able to develop trust and the ability to openly communicate with each other. There are times I am sure that you need to decide ?is that the hill I want to die on? versus looking for a compromise! I know from experience that I sometimes need to take a step back and attempt to see my partner?s view point from a different perspective. That is actually a very refreshing thing to do. Believe it or not, we are not always right! I found this quote and it is actually so true with the added touch of humor, ?A relationship, I think, is like a shark, you know? It has to constantly move forward or it dies. And I think what we got on our hands is a dead shark? ? Woody Allen.

When I look around and see various people that seem to be struggling with a relationship that they have I always seem to be able to tie it back to the lack or perhaps the inability to communicate effectively. It is really sad to see that taking place as it does have a traumatic effect on people. A trusted relationship that is founded on open and honest communication, wrapped in positivity and garnished with mutual respect with a dash of sincerity is most definitely on the path of success. Now that sounds like a recipe for success!

When I look at how this all applies to the exciting world of mentoring ? it is the recipe for success for any mentoring program or mentoring culture. We need to remember however that another main ingredient to a successful mentoring program is the right culture to support the implementation and maintenance of that program. Supporting that culture are trusted relationships which typically are not something that you can build overnight. Trained mentors are able to reach out and develop those trusted relationships in a shorter period of time. Their life is typically surrounded by relationships of all kinds and they are constantly working at developing new relationships and providing the care and feeding of existing ones. They understand and recognize the value in trusted relationships! They are indeed the recipe for success in any mentoring solution that you want to implement.

Relationships no matter the type play a very strong role in our lives today. Work on those relationships and reach out to a trained mentor for assistance. It may be your turn to experience the ?power of mentoring?!

References:

1. http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/relationship

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