“Forming powerful relationships is important in the business world … There is no quick way to build powerful relationships; it takes time for them to blossom.”

Sallie Sherman, expert B2B strategist and founder of S4 Consulting, teams up with Joseph Sperry, an authority on relationship management programs, and Steve Vucelich, customer relationship strategist, and together, these “Relationship Masters” combine decades of experience and firsthand knowledge to create a guide for building strong business relationships in five steps.

Every relationship, whether personal or professional, takes time to establish and grow. There’s no quick trick for building powerful business relationships, but these five keys offer insight into what makes strong relationships thrive:

Connect first, then focus on the task.
Before any work can be done, people must connect. When entering a meeting, if a leader first takes the time to connect with their team, everyone is more relaxed and able to focus on the task more clearly.

Learn by walking in another’s shoes.
Empathy can be a vital tool in establishing good communication. By taking the time to “walk in someone else’s shoes,” teams can learn to better understand and respect each other, creating powerful relationships.

Understand that whether or not people trust you is often up to you.
Trust is a nonnegotiable ingredient in any relationship, and it starts with you. Sincerity, reliability, and competence are all necessary to extend trust to others, as well as helping your team better trust you.

Share information to increase personal power.
Some professionals believe keeping information to themselves is better for business, when in fact the opposite is often the case. Sharing information not only helps contribute to trust, but also invites other team members to offer their own ideas and promotes company success.

Manage yourself before others.
Individuals who leave a greater impact on the workplace are those who have worked on themselves first. Great leaders are capable of maintaining authenticity, managing multiple working relationships, and creating a healthy culture, allowing them to develop powerful business relationships.

Through personal anecdotes, interviews, and scientific research, Sherman, Sperry, and Vucelich present a detailed account for implementing each of these keys into your own life. A quick, informative read, “Five Keys to Powerful Business Relationships” is a must-have for both managers and individuals looking to establish strong, dependable relationships in the business world.