Tips on How to Win Over Your Coworkers
Written by Koko Ombu
It’s your first day at your new job. Countless times, you’ve imagined what working for this organization would feel like, and here you are, living in the reality of those dreams. The feeling is surreal; you can’t explain it. You have wondered what the people, atmosphere and work culture are like. Is the atmosphere positive or not so positive? Are the people awesome or passive? Will they like you or not? You’re curious to find out.
You’ve just stepped into the role of manager within a very proactive marketing team in a mid sized company. While most experienced people could easily fit into your new position, the company has selected you to bring fresh ideas and a broader perspective from working with a publicly listed global brand to lead the marketing team to capture increased market share. You wonder what the team will think about you. Will they be easy or difficult to work with? Will they be accepting of an external boss?
You’ve been transferred from another division in the same company, and you’re hoping that working with a new team will work out well. You’ve considered the highs and lows with coworkers in your previous role and anticipate doing better with this new opportunity. You’re eager to find out how this will all play out.
The above scenarios of starting a new job or role can usher in a variety of feelings such as nervousness, anxiety and other adrenaline-pumping emotions. You’re not alone. Experiencing these emotions and thoughts happen to the best of us. When hoping to get along with everyone, you should keep in mind that it’s a tall order for everyone to get along with each other, so it’s important to brace yourself for negative reactions and experiences.
It’s vital to recognize that every workplace comes with its own dynamics since there is most likely a convergence of people of various races, languages, beliefs and cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds. Such diversity is healthy for innovation, insights and trend spotting, as research from BCG Consulting shows that teams with above average diversity at the management level gain 45% more innovation revenue compared to companies with less diversity (i.e., 26%). These differences, however, could also be a breeding ground for animosity and conflict.
While people spend most of their time at work, it’s important to win over coworkers in order to thrive in the workplace and maintain a positive career trajectory.
Although you may not know how your coworkers will react to you, what you do know is how you can act toward them by taking practical steps to win them over. In spite of the primary goal to maintain professionalism at work, your personality and interactions with others can be expressed in a manner that will attract others. Hence, to win over your coworkers, it’s essential to show compassion at work and allow this to shine through along with your phenomenal work ethic, which will leave your coworkers enthralled.
It doesn’t matter if you’re a corporate newbie or an old timer, implementing these tips at work will allow you to win over your coworkers in no time.
Share kind thoughts and goodwill:
In his bestseller, How to Win Friends and Influence People, Dale Carnegie discusses the importance of expressing kind thoughts and goodwill to people who you may only interact with briefly. He practiced this habit before every meeting or engagement, and each time his audience warmed up to him in positive ways. If this worked for people he was having casual, one-off interactions with, imagine how effective it could be for people you’ll spend a lot of time with. You can do this for your coworkers before getting to know them and after you enter the workplace. Expressing kind thoughts and sending goodwill regularly will have a great impact on coworkers, and they most likely with share their sheer fondness for you.
Be nice:
Being nice is a great superpower to have to show kindness, so generously use it. Being nice appears in the acts of being courteous to the workplace cleaner (the same way you would the CEO) or even going out of your way to greet people or even helping others when you can. Being nice to your coworkers will automatically win them.
Smile:
Do you want to appear kind and approachable? Smiling should always compliment your attitude at work. Let your smile be noticed before your outfit. A smile emits positive energy, and always wearing one will send a message of an easygoing and likeable personality to your coworkers, which will make them feel relaxed around you.
Introduce yourself:
If you need to (and it hasn’t been done for you already by HR or the boss), introduce yourself to coworkers whom you’re not familiar with. Tell them about yourself and ask to get to know them, too. The goal is to leave a lasting impression on their minds that you’re interested in their work and life.
Be genuine:
Being genuine is a rare gift. Everyone loves a genuine person: someone who is real, truthful and authentic. You must be willing to be open, such as revealing things about your personal life to uplift coworkers and not lie about things you’ve done or not done to make yourself look good. This attitude will help you gain the trust of others.
Show genuine interest:
When trying to get to know your coworkers, it’s necessary to show genuine interest in each individual. Get to know their names, and use them. It shows you have them in mind. Listen attentively during conversations to capture subtle details that you may use to show love or support. Listen to them rather than just talk, and when you do speak, speak kindly to them. These tiny acts will make people feel important, which will increase their respect and admiration for you.
Be spontaneous with surprises:
Be the person to remember birthdays and show surprise acts of kindness. Surprising coworkers with treats or gifts shows that you care. You can also take someone out to lunch or buy a cup of coffee to brighten a coworker’s day.
Be empathetic:
Use your emotional intelligence to sense whether things may not be going well with a coworker and reach out to them. Call sick or absent coworkers and ask how they’re doing. Learn to feel what others are feeling by putting yourself in their shoes. By doing this, you are able to win hearts and make friends with your coworkers.
Be globally and socially inclusive:
Learn about different cultures, nationalities and ethnicities of those in the workplace to be more socially aware of cultural sensitivities and biases. This is a must-have skill for any employee and is sure to win over hearts.
Lighten the atmosphere:
Complimenting coworkers generously creates a positive atmosphere, and if you’re funny, bring it on. Tell proper jokes in the workplace, and don’t go overboard; everyone loves an office jester, right? Until they don’t.
While the above tips will win over your coworkers with your great personality, consider the tips below to do same with your stellar work ethics:
Be collaborative:
Be a team player who works collaboratively to get work done and achieve goals even when you feel you can do it yourself. While personal growth at work is good, being a team player displays your ability to collaborate. Use the words “we” and “our” often, especially when discussing group projects. When referring to projects that are directly your responsibility, remember to acknowledge everyone who made contributions to its success, no matter how little this may seem. It goes a long way.
Be flexible:
Learning about personality types will work wonders in your quest to winning over your coworkers. This will build your interpersonal skills and help you be flexible in your interactions with coworkers who have different personalities. You should keep your working style flexible to work with different personality types.
Be the go-to coworker:
Create your forte in something most people can’t do without. You can be the info person with the latest industry highlights, data and innovations at your fingertips, or the techie everyone needs to make work easier or the social media savvy person everyone endorses. Coworkers want to work closely with someone who has the answers to their questions.
Be a person of your words:
Put your money where your mouth is. If you say you will do something, then do it! People are attracted to truthful people. Everyone is looking for someone they can count on to deliver on deadlines. You will win coworkers over if you operate with such work standards.
Be eager to learn:
Show eagerness to learn on the job by studying what others do or directly ask for mentoring from superiors. This will win over coworkers with ease.
Receive and give constructive criticism:
Be open to receiving criticism from coworkers without malice. In giving criticism to coworkers, highlight areas of their strengths first and then mention areas for improvement instead of telling someone they did a task badly, which will make them feel miserable.
Be the bigger person:
In times of work-related conflict or crisis, be the bigger person and avoid making petty comments. No matter how this affects your ego, be the first to take a step back or work toward resolving an issue that will bring a favorable outcome to everyone involved.
With each of these tips in mind, you have the opportunity to keep winning over coworkers through various ways. To consistently achieve this, allow these actions to become part of your everyday work routine.
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