Rule 4 - Relationships Are Success

You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with. – Jim Rohn

From construction of the project to your career, success — however you measure it — is largely a result of the people around you. So make an effort to build relationships with everyone, from the project director to the members of the workforce. And the best way to build relationships is to say hello and make an effort to learn peoples name. But always be authentic in your relationships, because people will quickly see through you when your aim is to get something out of them. Your aim in any relationship should be about what you can do for them.

It does matter who you know, as it is often through the 2nd and 3rd levels of relationships that you find work opportunities, get promoted, grow outside your prejudices — you will always find people to reinforce your views when birds of a feather flock together — or even meet your significant other.

If you want to make everyone happy, don’t be a leader - seal ice cream.

The rule 2 here — the flip side, the other side of the coin — is that it isn’t a popularity contest and that you are not there to make friends. That often you will need to say no, making people upset. The easy answer is “Yes”, but don’t let yourself be pressured into a yes or avoid a hard truth because you don’t want to upset someone.

Check out The Engineering Rule Book for the other rules.