{"id":1533,"date":"2015-08-11T19:42:28","date_gmt":"2015-08-11T19:42:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/leadershipshape.com\/wardroom\/?p=1533"},"modified":"2015-10-11T21:21:57","modified_gmt":"2015-10-11T21:21:57","slug":"1533","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/leadershipshape.com\/wardroom\/1533\/","title":{"rendered":"10 Ways Even Introverts Can Make Friends at Work"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"10<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n
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Image credit: pipermarcotte | Foap.com<\/a><\/div>\n<\/header>\n

\"John<\/a><\/p>\n

JOHN BOITNOTT<\/div>\n
CONTRIBUTOR<\/div>\n
Journalist, Digital Media Consultant and Investor<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

Entrepreneur and CultureIQ are searching for the top high-performing cultures to be featured on our annual list. Think your company has what it takes? Click here to get started<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

For some, making friends isn\u00e2\u0080\u0099t easy. Being social isn’t easy. Some of us are more introverted than extroverted. Myself, I have driven both Uber and Lyft, and I’ve found that\u00c2\u00a0one suited me better because I tend to be more introverted<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This is all fine.\u00c2\u00a0Most introverts “get” that they\u00c2\u00a0live in an extroverted world<\/a>\u00c2\u00a0and\u00c2\u00a0have to cater to\u00c2\u00a0extroverts a little at times\u00c2\u00a0to fit in and get along with others. This is the same whether you work at a giant corporation or a small, fast-paced tech startup.\u00c2\u00a0Making friends at the office can be intimidating because you\u00e2\u0080\u0099re all working to impress your superiors, as well as\u00c2\u00a0make the company more successful. Whether you’re in a close-knit office where everyone has been friends for years or you’re shyer than the average Joe, these steps\u00c2\u00a0can\u00c2\u00a0help you create good friendships with your work mates.<\/p>\n

1. Say hello first.<\/h2>\n

This is an easy one, but much of the time people\u00c2\u00a0forget (or are afraid) to do it.\u00c2\u00a0Often, if you reach out to someone that’s all the effort it’ll really take to open\u00c2\u00a0a\u00c2\u00a0line of communication and begin a friendship. Just start by saying “hi” or “goodbye” and you’ll often find a coworker is\u00c2\u00a0happy to\u00c2\u00a0do the same to you\u00c2\u00a0the next time .<\/p>\n

2. Create a\u00c2\u00a0group text.<\/h2>\n

Whether your coworkers are tech savvy or not, we are in an age where everyone sends emails and texts. I lament the loss of phone conversations, but such is life.\u00c2\u00a0You might as well try to take advantage of peoples’ dependence upon texting then.\u00c2\u00a0If you chat with people in messages during the day about work-related topics, it might\u00c2\u00a0be\u00c2\u00a0feasible to send out a group text when the workday is over.<\/p>\n

3. Ask\u00c2\u00a0about them.<\/h2>\n

Ask how they are doing, how long have they worked there and other open-ended questions. People love talking about themselves and nine-times-out-of-ten they will return the favor and ask about you. You may then find that you like talking about your own experiences and slip out of your introversion for a minute.<\/p>\n

Related:\u00c2\u00a07 Ways Introverts Can Become Master Minglers<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

4. Add them on social media.<\/h2>\n

One of the\u00c2\u00a0first steps to making friends is to know what the other person likes. Social media makes this easier than it has been in the past. Once you have befriended a co-worker on Facebook or Twitter, watch your timeline for his or her updates.\u00c2\u00a0Don’t be afraid to make a comment, or even re-share or re-tweet if appropriate.\u00c2\u00a0Talk to them in person about a picture you saw on their feed\u00c2\u00a0and\u00c2\u00a0you can\u00c2\u00a0immediately create a connection.<\/p>\n

5. Be confident.<\/h2>\n

People can tell when you\u00e2\u0080\u0099re nervous. A lot of times, they don\u00e2\u0080\u0099t like it. When you\u00e2\u0080\u0099re uncomfortable, so are they. Make eye contact<\/a> with a coworker when either of you is\u00c2\u00a0speaking. This is one way to let them realize that you are “present”\u00c2\u00a0and don’t find them boring or intimidating. This is all part of showing your coworkers that you care about them and like them.\u00c2\u00a0More often than not, they will like you more if you make this effort, and your confidence will grow.<\/p>\n

6. Find things you have in common.<\/h2>\n

Once you know what to talk to someone about, conversation will\u00c2\u00a0flow more freely. It may take just one common interest to build the basis for a strong friendship.\u00c2\u00a0Before long, your\u00c2\u00a0common interests may also have you bonding over workplace issues. You may work better together and your\u00c2\u00a0work may flourish because of it.<\/p>\n

Related:\u00c2\u00a0The Benefits of Having Friends in the Office (Infographic)<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

7. Go to work events.<\/h2>\n

It’s not uncommon for groups of employees to gather at the end of the week at a nearby coffee shop or restaurant. Some companies treat their employees to movie night.\u00c2\u00a0Make sure to attend at least some of these get-togethers. It may be just like going to work,\u00c2\u00a0except no one will be as serious and there should be very little actual work. There might also be some alcohol involved and that can\u00c2\u00a0help make getting to know coworkers\u00c2\u00a0easier.<\/p>\n

8. Ask for help.<\/h2>\n

Everyone has weaknesses, even you.\u00c2\u00a0If you show these weaknesses instead of trying to hide them, people will usually respect you more for asking for their help. It’ll open the lines of communication and show a different side of yourself.<\/p>\n

9. Don\u00e2\u0080\u0099t compare yourself to others.<\/h2>\n

Don’t compare your contributions to the company to what you perceive your coworkers are contributing. Remember, it’s a team and everyone is different\u00c2\u00a0and has their own skill set. Also, don\u00e2\u0080\u0099t worry if you\u00e2\u0080\u0099re “too” short or tall or have no hair.\u00c2\u00a0If someone doesn\u00e2\u0080\u0099t want to be your friend simply for those reasons they aren\u00e2\u0080\u0099t worth it in the first place.<\/p>\n

10. Don\u00e2\u0080\u0099t fear rejection.<\/h2>\n

My father always told me, “People will meet you, and some will like you right away. Others will decide right away that they don’t like you. There’s very little you can do about that.” I’ve always found him to be right. For whatever reason, some people will never take a shining to you. That’s life. If someone doesn\u00e2\u0080\u0099t want to be your friend, it isn\u00e2\u0080\u0099t the end of the world. People get rejected every day all over the place but\u00c2\u00a0if you don\u00e2\u0080\u0099t get out there and try again you\u00e2\u0080\u0099re just hurting yourself.<\/p>\n

For some of us, making friends at work is harder than doing the actual\u00c2\u00a0work we’ve been hired for.\u00c2\u00a0Even if you think you would do better work without the distraction of having to make friends, a job without them can be lonely and boring. Who will join you in discussing favorite TV shows or\u00c2\u00a0poking fun at the new, aggravating work assignment? Bonding over work experiences is often what makes the whole thing tolerable.\u00c2\u00a0So before you write it off, turn to the person next to you and say hello.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Image credit: pipermarcotte | Foap.com August 11, 2015 JOHN BOITNOTT CONTRIBUTOR Journalist, Digital Media Consultant and Investor Entrepreneur and CultureIQ are searching for the top high-performing cultures to be featured on our annual list. Think your company has what it takes? Click here to get started. For some, making friends isn\u00e2\u0080\u0099t easy. Being social isn’t … Continue reading 10 Ways Even Introverts Can Make Friends at Work<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pmpro_default_level":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1533","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-leadership","pmpro-has-access"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/s4MGMb-1533","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/leadershipshape.com\/wardroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1533","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/leadershipshape.com\/wardroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/leadershipshape.com\/wardroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/leadershipshape.com\/wardroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/leadershipshape.com\/wardroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1533"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/leadershipshape.com\/wardroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1533\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1537,"href":"https:\/\/leadershipshape.com\/wardroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1533\/revisions\/1537"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/leadershipshape.com\/wardroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1533"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/leadershipshape.com\/wardroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1533"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/leadershipshape.com\/wardroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1533"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}