Tero Featured Blog

Do you miss Canada? The answer is the same today as it was when I immigrated to the United States 18 years ago. I miss the people.

This is probably the same answer you provide when asked if you miss your hometown. Your previous job. Your college days.

Relationships matter. Whether at home, at work, or at play, it is the quality of our relationships that shapes our lives - for better or for worse.

Relationships are also a practical matter in business. Harvard University, Carnegie Foundation and Stanford Research Institute showed that 85 percent of professional success is related to people skills.

Here are six tips to improve your relationships this week.

1. Look up from your computer when interacting with someone. Many of us are so preoccupied with email that we fail to honor the human interaction in front of us.

2. Turn your cell phone off when meeting or dining with someone.

3. Make eye contact and smile when you greet others.

4. Write five thank you notes in the next five days.

5. Call someone you haven't spoken to for a long time.

6. Provide others with tips on how to effectively interact with you.

It is a basic law of nature that two moving bodies in contact with each other create friction. Therefore, whenever two or more people are in contact with each other, friction results. Respect and good etiquette is the lubricating oil that enables people to work together effectively (whether they like each other or not).

No matter what you possess in life, whether great wealth, social status, a powerful job, etc., you will never be truly successful unless you can get along with others, even when it is difficult to do so.