Summary: Building and maintaining valuable relationships is vitally important in life and business. We all want to make the best relationships with people that we can but it doesn’t always come naturally to us all. Some people are more talkative, some are more reserved. Some people are never off the phone and other prefer to communicate by e-mail. The skill with which we develop relationships needn’t be the fixed attribute that we often think it is. As with almost everything else, we can work at improving it through practice and study.<br> Relationships are indeed an art and fostering the right kind of relationships can do wonders not only for ourselves but also for our businesses. How can we make sure that we are creating the right kind of relationships in the most beneficial way? With us on this episode of the number one small business podcast is Jason Treu who is an expert in the art of relationships and knows how radically different peoples’ lives can become after they reconsider how they approach relationships.<br> The traits that we currently have do not need to define us as people or small business owners for the rest of our lives. Working towards changing your relationships with those around you can have benefits far beyond the entrepreneurial. Taking time to introspect and focus on new ways of building relationships can even bring passion back into your life and work if you’ve noticed it fade.<br> Jason is going to take us through some of his experiences as one of the world’s leading business and executive coaches. The methods and tools that he has developed have helped thousands of people around the world improve their lives and their businesses. <br> Issue Challenged in this Small Business Podcast: <br> How can I master the art of relationships?<br> About Jason:<br> Jason Treu is a business and executive coach who has helped some of the world’s leading CEOs help develop their skills in building and maintaining valuable relationships. He is a regular contributor at The Good Men Project, Inspirationfeed, Under30 CEO, YourTango and KillerStartups. He is also the author of several bestsellers including Jump Start Your Social Life and Social Wealth.<br> The tools and systems that Jason has created to unlock the potential within has helped thousands around the world to exceed their limits and achieve their goals while putting the passion back into their work and lives. The key to all of this is changing how people approach relationships.<br> Actionable Tips:<br> <br> * Engage with people. Social and communication skills are learned behaviours and can be practiced and improved. Don’t worry about the outcomes, but get practicing. Part of it is doing some internal work and trying to identify your blind spots and what behavioural patterns you have that are no longer serving you.<br> * Go to events where people want to talk. Go to charity events, art museums or community events where people are open to speaking and are there for the same reason. Going to talk to random strangers is less helpful as you don’t know why they are there or what’s going on in their lives. Events are great as everyone is on a level playing field and there for the same reasons.<br> * Lead with giving and generosity. Rapport, likability and trust are the key things that you need to get follow up from new people or to build deeper relationships with people that you already know. The best question for building rapport is ‘What are you passionate about life?’ It gets to the emotional core of the person. Everyone in life is led by their emotions.<br> <br> <br> Top Quotes:<br> <br> * “People believe that we’re born with certain social, communication and emotional skillsets and they’re as good as they’re ever going to get. That couldn’t be further from the truth, they are all learned behaviours.”<br> * “After they have addressed some of their issues, they just get excited about their lives every day and they feel passion and fu...
