[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ admin_label=”section” _builder_version=”3.0.47″][et_pb_row admin_label=”row” _builder_version=”3.0.94″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” use_custom_width=”on” custom_width_px=”1075px”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.0.47″ parallax=”off” parallax_method=”on”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.0.47″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”]Give People a Positive Vibe When someone is having a rough day or just needs a pick me up, and they walk into the office and you’re there with a greeting and a smile, it really makes a difference.  It shows them that even though their day is horrible, they are there with someone who cares about them in a professional sense, and here is someone that has found a way to be positive person amongst the hard times. The positivity that you are giving off, gives them the freedom to reach down deep inside and give some positivity back to you, thereby making their day even better.  It all ripples back in positive waves.  By being the positive person in the scenario, you give all of those in your professional life a way to trust you and your attitude, building a strong and positive environment.  Maybe it sounds a little strange, but all of this will work in your favour and give you a safe space.   Show That You Care By being social and engaging in conversation with employees and customers, it shows that what you’re doing isn’t just a job.  You care about what you’re doing, the people that are around you, and always doing a quality job.  You will be able to build strong professional relationships with all those your interact with based on genuine principles and real ideas that mean something to you and the person with whom you’re interacting. It’s hard to build genuine in work relationships at times because some people always seem like they’re in competition to always be better than you.  But, in your business, you can make it so that being a people-person is just how it goes with you.  You’ll give people a positive experience professionally and otherwise, and this is really important to helping show people why you are better than all of the competition out there.   Show Them That You’re a “Real Person” We just talked about how competition is a real thing in the business world, which is true, but you can still be professionally competitive and real to who you are, too.  Being a people-person means that you are positive in spite of how you are feeling emotionally, but honestly, as well.  When you get frustrated with a situation, show it in a calm and honest manner.  That way, those around you will see that you feel these emotions too, but that you handle them professionally.  This will show people that you are, indeed, a real person, and that you have emotions. It’ll encourage people to trust you and your words, because you are showing all sides to your professional personality, and you aren’t just some fake person who is scamming people to get a sale, or to make you stay as an employee.  This is really important for keeping employees happy.   Show People That You Listen When an employee or a customer comes to you, upset, complaining, or angry (or any of this combination), you have to be open and engaging towards them.  Don’t wave them away to come talk to you later, don’t dismiss their emotions, genuinely listen to them and offer them some advice if you can think of anything. If not, just listen.  Show them that you hear their concerns.  No matter if you care personally or not, you have a duty to be respectful to your employees and customers, and that means that you need to listen to what they are telling you and trying to work with them to find a solution, or give them what they are looking for in other means.  There is a lot of competition out there, so show people that you care about them by listening to their needs and making yourself a safe place to air your questions and concerns.  It’ll make everyone more positive towards you.   Show People You Have a Backbone We’ve been talking about being open and kind and how that all works together to make you into a people-person, but that’s not to say that you have to be a total pushover.  You can be kind and warm without being namby-pamby.  All you have to do is show compassion but refer to the rules of the business and stick to them.  If a person is out of sick days but they are desperately sick (and aren’t faking it), then work something out to help them out, even if it causes problems for you.  Conversely, if you find out that somebody is taking sick days, but they’re really not that sick (discovered in a professional setting where it legitimate), be kind, but be firm, and enforce the rule and make sure the understand it. Simply put, you’re going to show them compassion and honesty, but that business is business, and you have to make sure that you protect the business for its own sake.   Show That You Know What You’re Doing What all of this boils down to is the fact that being a people-person in a professional setting is going to show your employees and customers that you know what you’re doing.  You will be able to pull in employees and customers and give them both a great experience, but you will also be able to stay professional and on top of the game. After all, your customer knows that the person in front of them in line who is yelling at you is making you angry, but by you staying calm and firm on what it is you are defending, you are staying professional in a seemingly impossible situation.  It earns you a lot of respect. It also proves to you that you know what you’re doing, which, as you are starting out and uncertain of things, can be worth a lot more than you realize right now.  There is a lot that comes with being a people-person, but this is the most important element to focus on.   There’s no question that being in the business world can be a lot of work a lot of the time, but we hope that you can see why making the effort to become a people-person is so valuable to you in a professional setting.  No matter which element spoke to you the most, there had to be something on this that showed you the value in connecting with those around you, and we hope that it will bring you many years of success in the work place, both with your employees who love you, and your customers that keep coming back. [/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]