Adds professional coach Lori Scherwin, founder of Strategize That, “Relationships can make or break your career. As you grow in your role and get more senior, aptitude/doing the tasks of your job well, is just the ante. Right or wrong, there is a lot of subjectivity in any office dynamic. Impact and influence are critical success drivers and having allies in your court at the office--at all levels senior, junior and peer--will help you progress (and make the job a whole lot more enjoyable, too).”
Going it alone on the job can backlash. “If you aren't likable in the office, chances are you aren't happy either. Attitude gets in the way of performance and can cloud otherwise good work. If you don't like where you are and you don't like your colleagues, it’s time to find a new path. We spend too much of our lives working to not enjoy it,” Scherwin points out.
Share insight. What you do in your role will likely help others do their job better too. Sharing isn't bragging - the more colleagues cooperate and communicate, the better it is for everyone involved,” suggests Scherwin.