Business Relationships that Go Beyond Business
June 13, 2024
Alternative Dispute Resolution
Business Relationships Beyond Business: Message from Debbie Weaver, Vice President Community Relations Lexitas
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the balance between the personal and the professional in business. Some of this has been brought on by recent personal circumstances, and part of it I’ve been mulling over for a while as I’ve seen friends, family, and colleagues move in and out of jobs with varying degrees of healthy corporate culture.
I guess I’d just like to start by saying that even in today’s fast-paced, competitive professional world, strong personal relationships are more important than ever. They don’t just make our day-to-day work lives more enjoyable – they actually sustain us, uplift us, and keep us grounded for the long haul in our careers.
It’s tempting to approach work as just work – to keep our professional stuff in the office and our personal stuff at home. I completely get that approach. But in my experience, I’ve found that building strong relationships where I do business has led to a kind of personal fulfillment that I wouldn’t have found otherwise.
Two of the best friends I’ve ever had in my life – Kelly Willis and Nancy Hopp – are women I met at work. Kelly and I met early in our careers and had an instant connection. We began Midwest Litigation Services with four court reporters in a single St. Louis office, and we grew it into an enormously successful company with offices in Missouri, Illinois, Arkansas, and additional national coverage. But we also built our personal lives together. We were pregnant at the same time, we raised our children at the same time together, and we grew our company together. We juggled our careers and our families – together.
Nancy Hopp is someone I also met through work more than 30 years ago. We were also pregnant together, raised our children together, built our careers together, and – more importantly – built a beautiful friendship along the way. Nancy has always been there for me in every part of my life, and I am forever grateful to her for that. Nancy is currently facing enormous challenges, and I am determined to be there for her just as she has been there for me all these years.
Together, Kelly and Nancy have shown me just how vital it is to have people who genuinely care about you, both personally and professionally. Building each other up is a huge part of why these relationships matter so much. In the hustle and scramble of business, it’s easy to lose sight of our achievements and strengths. Kelly and Nancy never let me forget mine. Their constant encouragement has always kept my confidence intact, even when I’ve faced setbacks. Knowing that they believed in me made all the difference, and I have tried to return that support, celebrating their wins and helping them through challenging times.
Having each other’s backs is another benefit of building strong relationships at work. Trust is everything in business, and knowing that people are in my corner gives me a sense of security that’s hard to describe. Whether it’s pulling together to meet a tight deadline or giving me honest feedback when I really need it, the loyalty and dependability of trusted friends are crucial. This kind of trust doesn’t just make our work better – it strengthens our personal connections, too.
The relationships I’ve built at work have kept me anchored to my profession over the years. The support and camaraderie I have experienced through work friendships have helped create positive and engaging work environments. It’s this sense of community and shared purpose that keeps me committed to my career, even when things get tough. Plus, work friends are always helping me grow, offering new perspectives and opportunities to learn. Through our interactions in and out of the office, I have gained invaluable skills and insights that have propelled my professional development.
Investing the time and emotional energy it takes to build strong personal business relationships – getting to know who people really are beyond their resumes – can be challenging and can make us feel emotionally vulnerable. Sometimes it can feel like an enormous risk. But for me, it has made all the difference in building and sustaining a long-term career. Kelly, Nancy, and the many others I’ve partnered with over the years have shown me just how impactful these connections can be. They don’t just enhance our professional lives – they provide the emotional and psychological support we need to grow and flourish. When we build each other up, have each other’s backs, and stay anchored to our professions, we create a network of support that can make our careers – and our lives – richer and more fulfilling.
I guess I’d just like to start by saying that even in today’s fast-paced, competitive professional world, strong personal relationships are more important than ever. They don’t just make our day-to-day work lives more enjoyable – they actually sustain us, uplift us, and keep us grounded for the long haul in our careers.
It’s tempting to approach work as just work – to keep our professional stuff in the office and our personal stuff at home. I completely get that approach. But in my experience, I’ve found that building strong relationships where I do business has led to a kind of personal fulfillment that I wouldn’t have found otherwise.
Two of the best friends I’ve ever had in my life – Kelly Willis and Nancy Hopp – are women I met at work. Kelly and I met early in our careers and had an instant connection. We began Midwest Litigation Services with four court reporters in a single St. Louis office, and we grew it into an enormously successful company with offices in Missouri, Illinois, Arkansas, and additional national coverage. But we also built our personal lives together. We were pregnant at the same time, we raised our children at the same time together, and we grew our company together. We juggled our careers and our families – together.
Nancy Hopp is someone I also met through work more than 30 years ago. We were also pregnant together, raised our children together, built our careers together, and – more importantly – built a beautiful friendship along the way. Nancy has always been there for me in every part of my life, and I am forever grateful to her for that. Nancy is currently facing enormous challenges, and I am determined to be there for her just as she has been there for me all these years.
Together, Kelly and Nancy have shown me just how vital it is to have people who genuinely care about you, both personally and professionally. Building each other up is a huge part of why these relationships matter so much. In the hustle and scramble of business, it’s easy to lose sight of our achievements and strengths. Kelly and Nancy never let me forget mine. Their constant encouragement has always kept my confidence intact, even when I’ve faced setbacks. Knowing that they believed in me made all the difference, and I have tried to return that support, celebrating their wins and helping them through challenging times.
Having each other’s backs is another benefit of building strong relationships at work. Trust is everything in business, and knowing that people are in my corner gives me a sense of security that’s hard to describe. Whether it’s pulling together to meet a tight deadline or giving me honest feedback when I really need it, the loyalty and dependability of trusted friends are crucial. This kind of trust doesn’t just make our work better – it strengthens our personal connections, too.
The relationships I’ve built at work have kept me anchored to my profession over the years. The support and camaraderie I have experienced through work friendships have helped create positive and engaging work environments. It’s this sense of community and shared purpose that keeps me committed to my career, even when things get tough. Plus, work friends are always helping me grow, offering new perspectives and opportunities to learn. Through our interactions in and out of the office, I have gained invaluable skills and insights that have propelled my professional development.
Investing the time and emotional energy it takes to build strong personal business relationships – getting to know who people really are beyond their resumes – can be challenging and can make us feel emotionally vulnerable. Sometimes it can feel like an enormous risk. But for me, it has made all the difference in building and sustaining a long-term career. Kelly, Nancy, and the many others I’ve partnered with over the years have shown me just how impactful these connections can be. They don’t just enhance our professional lives – they provide the emotional and psychological support we need to grow and flourish. When we build each other up, have each other’s backs, and stay anchored to our professions, we create a network of support that can make our careers – and our lives – richer and more fulfilling.
