Advice for building effective and strong professional relationships from Erin Engelke.

1. IT’S ALL ABOUT
RELATIONSHIPS!
Erin Engelke, APR
Chief External Relations Officer
Sunbeam Family Services
Twitter: @erinengelke
#workrelationships

3. RELATIONSHIP TYPES
Targeted
Peers or competitors in your industry but you don’t
know them personally
Tentative
Connections you meet up with occasionally at
networking events or for coffee
Transactional
Less personal and more tied to business goals
Trusted
Most personal, valuable and longest-lasting
Your closest peers or mentors

4. #1 TAKING
BEFORE GIVING

5. #1 TAKING
BEFORE GIVING
• Reciprocal give and take.
• Be genuine and have respect.
• Don’t expect a return.
• Slow down and listen.

6. #2 BEING
OPPORTUNISTIC

7. #2 BEING OPPORTUNISTIC
• Don’t be status conscious with
relationships.
• Expand your relationship circle to include
people different than you.
• Lift others up.

8. #3 PLAYING
OFFICE
POLITICS

9. #3 PLAYING
OFFICE POLITICS
• It’s not just about
your knowledge
and skills.
• Strong collaboration
skills = organizational
and personal
success.

10. FORGETTING RESULTS
#4 FORGETTING RESULTS

11. #4 FORGETTING ABOUT
RESULTS
• Relationships can’t make up for a lack of
knowledge or skills.
• Build your Rolodex AND achieve
organizational objectives.

12. #5
COMMUNICATING…WITHOUT
A HEALTHY BALANCE

13. #5 COMMUNICATING
WITHOUT A HEALTHY
BALANCE
• Don’t overshare.
• Avoid the creep-out factor.

14. RELATIONSHIP MAP
• Do I know what is important to
them?
• Do I know anything personal
about them?
• Is my current relationship with this
person positive, neutral or
negative?