In today’s world, building meaningful, long-term relationships is essential for the success of your personal brand or company. Without clients or managers who advocate for you and your career growth, it’s difficult to achieve your goals and aspirations. Life is a roller coaster full of ups and downs, but how you leverage each situation to cultivate trust, transparency, and authenticity it’s the key to drive success in your relationships with relevant stakeholders.

Here are some 7 tips to help you build trustworthy relationships so that no matter what challenges life throws your way, you can find your path to where you aspire to be.

1. Be Empathetic – “You and I Are the Same”

Empathy is critical for building genuine relationships. To truly connect with others, put yourself in others’ shoes and try to understand their feelings and perspectives. Sharing relatable stories can make others feel connected to you.

Examples:

• “I’ve been in your role before, and I faced similar challenges until I learned to…”
• “When I was trying to lose weight, I know how frustrating the first month was because I wanted immediate results.”

Making others feel seen and understood builds trust and creates stronger connections.

2. Turn Direct Orders into Questions

Kindness and emotional intelligence are crucial when communicating with others. Instead of giving direct orders, turn them into questions that invite the desired action.

Examples:

• Instead of: “Sign the contract.”
  Say: “Do you have a pen to sign the contract?”
• Instead of: “Cancel today’s meeting.”
  Say: “Do you all agree on canceling the meeting since we’ve covered everything?”

This approach reduces resistance and makes others feel included in the decision-making process.

3. Set Expectations Clearly

To avoid conflicts and misunderstandings, set clear expectations from the beginning.

• Define timelines and explain why each date matters.
• Be transparent about what’s feasible and what’s not.
• Meet deadlines on time to build trust.

Setting clear expectations and sticking to them is crucial for maintaining long-term, sustainable relationships.

4. Mirror and Label

Mirroring and labeling are powerful tools for active listening and gaining insights. Mirroring means repeating the last few words of someone’s sentence to encourage them to elaborate, while labeling helps to acknowledge emotions and make the other person feel heard.

Example:

Person: “I’m so stressed out—I have this big presentation due tomorrow, and I’m not sure how to pull it all together.”

You (Mirroring): “A big presentation?”

Person: “Yeah, it’s for our quarterly business review, and I need to show how our marketing efforts impacted revenue.”

You (Labeling): “Sounds like there’s a lot of pressure to get it right.”

Person: “Exactly! I just want to make sure I present the data in a way that makes sense to everyone.”

You: “Presenting data clearly can be challenging, but it sounds like you’re determined to make it work.”

This strategy makes you perceived engaged, approachable, and easy to talk to.

5. Tell stories, Not Just Standalone Numbers

When analyzing marketing performance or data, focus on trends and patterns, not isolated numbers. Consider seasonality, key events, and efforts that may have impacted the results before presenting a performance review.

Numbers tell a story—they reveal what’s happening and how it can be fixed. By identifying trends, you can communicate a comprehensive story and provide actionable insights rather than focusing on a single negative number.

6. Always Act as and Recommend as the expert

When communicating your ideas—whether it’s negotiating, selling, or presenting a solution—step into the role of the expert.

How to act as the expert:

• Be confident in your tone and body language.
• Always offer recommendations rather than expecting others to tell you what to do.
• Be open to feedback while maintaining confidence in your work.

Example:
“This is the situation; I believe it happened because of X and Y. Here are three alternatives to address it, and I recommend option A because of these specific benefits.”

Offering solutions, not just problems, positions you as a leader and problem-solver. Stakeholders appreciate clear recommendations, which speeds up decision-making and builds trust.

Remember: Being an expert isn’t about having all the answers—it’s about taking initiative, being thoughtful, and continuously improving.

7. Focus on Opportunities, Not Gaps

When faced with an issue or problem, frame it as an opportunity for improvement rather than focusing on the gap or what went wrong. Reframe the narrative to emphasize how the team can leverage the situation for growth.

Example:
Instead of saying, “We didn’t meet the KPI last month,” say:
“We have a great opportunity to improve segmentation and brand awareness. This challenge can become a success story if we make these adjustments.”

This mindset keeps the team motivated and focused on moving forward rather than stuck on the problem.

Establishing yourself as an expert requires being confident, proactive, empathetic, and open to feedback. It means collaborating effectively, being resourceful in overcoming challenges, and embracing a growth mindset. These traits help you form genuine relationships, build trust, and create a personal brand that inspires others while strengthening long-term loyalty with clients, colleagues, and your network.