Communication plays a crucial role in the initiation, development, and maintenance of human relationships. With this fact in mind, I have made efforts to ensure that I have healthy relationships with my colleagues at work. I must confess that maintaining meaningful interpersonal relationships was hard at first. I was not sure what my role was in nurturing these healthy relationships as I expected others to fill the void, which strained my relationships. However, I have come to understand that I have a significant role when it comes to building and maintaining these relationships. For one I have come to understand the importance of groupthink, especially when dealing with my colleagues as it brings group cohesion (Katopol, 2015). In the beginning, I used to hold contrary opinions to my colleagues on almost every issue something that made me an outsider. I used to wonder why my colleagues decided to give up their personal opinions for the popular opinion but now I understand why it is necessary.
Interpersonal relationships thrive in groups or individuals who adopt self-disclosure as a way of building mutual trust (Robinson, 2017). For me, working with my colleagues has been my source of joy as it has helped me deal with my frustration, as we tend to share our sad and happy moments. However, this was not the case as I used to be very reserved and I was not willing to divulge my experiences to anyone. This reservation did not go down well with my friends who felt uncomfortable discussing their own experiences with me. I knew that something was wrong with me when they planned the end of year party without involving me. At this point, I decided to open up to them and I felt great relief to earn their trust, which has helped me face life challenges. I no longer fear to tell my colleagues about my fears, frustrations, and aspirations since I believe that they will not judge or criticize me. On the other hand, I have also learnt to encourage others as well as offer positive criticism, which has, in turn, helped my relationships to thrive.
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References
Katopol, P. F. (2015). Groupthink: Group dynamics and the decision-making process. Library Leadership and Management, 30(1), 1-6.
Robinson, S. C. (2017). Self-disclosure and managing privacy: Implications for interpersonal and online communication for consumers and marketers. Journal of Internet Commerce, 16.4(2017), 160-171.
