Understanding Professional Relationships 

Human beings, by nature, seek companionship and relationships. These relationships are categorized into different groups, such as people you met in grade school or someone you’ve worked with. Knowing how to navigate and categorize these relationships can become confusing due to how often you move between these groups. 

A great way to properly distinguish relationships is by understanding the meaning behind the relationship. According to the Indeed Career Guide, a professional association is an interpersonal connection between two or more people in a workplace. The older you get, the more you tend to accomplish professional goals, whether it be your first career job, a promotion, or connecting with a mentor. Becoming familiar with what a professional relationship is and exactly what it entails will benefit you in the future. 

One key factor to keep in mind is boundaries. Webster's Dictionary defines a boundary as “something that indicates or fixes a limit or extent.” Having healthy boundaries gives you a clear sense of things that are appropriate and not appropriate in professional relationships. For example, you can have two co-workers and engage in entirely different activities due to your relationships with them. There’s nothing wrong with connecting more with one coworker than another as long as the core boundaries remain comfortable for both people.

Here’s a list of a few suggested boundaries to implement in a professional relationship: 

1. Punctuality. When meeting up with someone you have a professional relationship with, make it the expectation to be on time. It shows a certain level of commitment/seriousness to how important the relationship is to you.
    
2. Lead with integrity. According to the Oxford Dictionary, integrity is “the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles”. Demonstrating integrity allows the relationship to flourish without second-guessing each other's work. 
    
3. Set emotional boundaries. These boundaries you set to protect your emotional well-being can vary depending on the person. An example of setting emotional boundaries includes communicating how you like to receive feedback from your boss. This can help with productivity because communication will become more efficient. Another example is knowing and understanding your colleague's triggers. According to Webster's Dictionary, a trigger is “to cause an intense and usually negative emotional reaction in (someone).” Knowing other's triggers can provide self-awareness that can teach you how to communicate more efficiently. 

Although boundaries are essential, they’re not the only thing to be mindful of. Professional relationships are not just a category for people you work with but can be with anyone you build a professional rapport. This could include a teacher, college friend, ex-supervisor, or even some of your social media friends. A fundamental principle to focus on is the substance of the relationship. Can this person help you grow professionally now or in the future? If so, it might benefit you to foster that professional relationship. 

Creating and maintaining these relationships may seem like a lot or even intimidating, but remember, we live in a society that can value who you know over what you know. So, growing your network of professional friends can only benefit you. 

"Tell me with whom you associate, and I will tell you who you are." ~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

About the author
Anthony, or Tone for short, has worked in the child welfare system for over eight years and has lived experience in the field. Tone is also a full-time business owner who looks to incorporate helping others in similar situations he once was in.