Build Bridges, Don’t Burn Them

Build bridges, don’t burn them

If you had a chance to meet your younger self, what advice would you give?

For Shachar Scott, Director, Brand and International Marketing at Meta Reality Labs – she'd say “build bridges, don’t burn them”.

Scott says that your connections are your most valuable asset in your career. “You never know who your old boss is going to be in the future, or maybe someone on your team might end up being your manager.”

Here’s an exercise you can do to quickly assess and build bridges, especially those that need repairing.

👍👎 Rate your recent interactions

List 10 people you work with frequently and rate the last interactions you had with them from terrible to great. Each interaction is a single bridge.

A terrible interaction might be... Sharing harsh feedback with a peer and them getting defensive

A great interaction might be... Finding a solution collaboratively with your client, and them thanking you for your pragmatism

🧱 Add bricks back to the bridge

Assess where each bridge is today on 2 levels: 1. How much effort will it take to build this bridge up? 2. What opportunities does this bridge lead to?

This will help you to reflect on which to prioritize. Then “add bricks” to the bridge. Here's a few actions you can take immediately:

• Share a useful article • Give them genuine praise for something • Take an interest in them and ask about their hobbies

⏰ Maintain bridges with reminders

Just like a physical bridge, without maintenance your relationships will start to weaken.

Here’s two things you can do to make sure you keep your most important bridges stay strong:

1. Set a reminder in your calendar to rate your interactions on a weekly basis
2. Set daily reminders in Slack (or similar) with the question: “Did I add any bricks today?” and use it to prompt you to do something positive for your key relationships

Broaden your horizons

Once you have built up a good habit, you don’t just have to stick with the relationships you have already. Do the same with people outside of your team.

At least twice a year, do something for them without asking for anything in return. You’ll find that doors will magically open for you and new bridges to new places will start to appear.