All of us want to be liked a little more, including leaders. Being liked can make a leader’s job easier and more rewarding.
Of course, being liked isn’t the end goal of leadership, but being liked is something that leaders can benefit from. It’s the same for teammates as well.
Whether you are new to a team, organization or company, all of us want to fit in. And to fit in, people need to like you. Here five quick, effective and easy to implement tips to help you on that journey, whether you are a teammate, a leader, or both.
1. Listen. Spend time getting to know others. While it’s great to share who you are, listening to others and hearing their stories will score you quick points in the likability category. People love to talk about themselves. It is their favorite topic to discuss. Focus more on being interested, not interesting.
As you find out more about other’s interests, make it a point to talk about those things on a regular basis.
2. Ask others for their opinion. A close second favorite topic of people is to be asked what they think. It’s also a good way for you to get better ideas.
3. Compliment others. I used to tell my kids that the fastest way to get friends was to say positive things about others. Spend time finding things you genuinely like and admire about others and tell them. As you do, you will start quickly endearing people to you.
4. Smile and acknowledge others. We love to be acknowledged. I remember years ago after being called to a fairly prominent position in my church, that my wife noticed I wasn’t taking time to acknowledge and greet people. She said, “people want to be acknowledged. As their new leader they want to know you care.”
As you go down the hall, to your meeting, to the parking lot or wherever, smile at everyone and say hello. You may not ever realize the impact it is making, but it is making an impact.
5. Live the platinum rule. The Platinum Rule is about doing unto others as they want to be done to vs the Golden Rule which is to do unto others as you would want to be done to. People are attracted to others who are selfless. Regularly thinking about what others want and need is a selfless act.
While there are other ways we can gain greater likability, these five are my favorite and are easy to start using right away. Every one of us could use a little more likability 🙂
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