Chapter 6 – Developing Professional Relationships

Chapter 6 is all about developing supportive professional relationships. When it comes to navigating harassment, having support from friends, family, colleagues, and mentors is so important for our resolution and reaching justice.

Before we begin, here are the answers for the Chapter 5 Quiz:

  1. TRUE. A witness with more power than your harasser can help you reach justice because they are more likely to be listened to and will be perceived as more credible within your organization.
  2. Typically, when you experience harassment you want to:
    1. Move to a safe location and perform self-care as needed to improve your emotional state. 
    2. Repeat and embody the 5 truths of the Resilience Mindset so that you can empower yourself to reach justice or at least feel safe once again in your school or workplace. 
    3. Document the incident. 
    4. Use the 5 variables of the Reporting Framework to determine a strategy for reporting the harassment. 
  3. Please document all instances when you experience (or think you are experiencing) bias, harassment, and/or discrimination. 
  4. Please review the fine-print of the legal documentation that applies to you if you are unsure about this specific answer. 
  5. Double-check your legislation to be sure, but in most cases the harassment can still be reported if it creates a hostile environment even if the person is not harassing you based on a protected category you identify with. 

Chapter 6 Introduction

You deserve to have supporters cheering you on in your school or workplace, not people who harass you or put you down. In your career and education, focusing on developing relationships with supporters rather than trying to win over people who do not support you not only helps with your success, but is also great for your health and wellness.

Watch the following video to start learning about methods to grow healthy, supportive professional relationships:

6.1 Interview Questions for an Advisor or Boss

The best time to start growing a supportive, professional relationship is the moment you are meeting someone; this includes advisors or bosses. Therefore, interviews are crucial moments to determine whether working with someone will support or stunt your growth. It can be difficult to know in the first meeting if the person will be supportive or not for the long-term, but there are questions you can ask to learn more and uncover crucial information.

Download the following document to learn more about questions to ask as you interview with a potential advisor or boss.

Remember that you are interviewing the organization or company as much as they are interviewing you. It’s important to keep an eye out for red flags that could indicate a toxic work environment.

6.1-interview-questions-for-an-advisor-or-boss_v1Download

6.2 The Johari Window

How can one go about deepening loving, supportive relationship both inside and outside of the workplace? The Johari Window gives us a model on which to see how we are practicing vulnerability, a key to deepening relationships.

Instructions:

  1. Complete this video and exercise with a friend or colleague (remotely or in person).
  2. You and your friend/colleague watch the video below.
  3. When the video fades to black ~2 minutes, pause and complete the Johari Window Exercise (download the PDF below).
  4. Once you’ve completed the exercise, proceed to watch the remainder of the video.
(please excuse the repeated phrases in the video – I need to re-edit!)
6.2.2-johari-window-exercise_v1Download

6.3 Emotional Labor

Download the following document to learn more about emotional labor and how to balance self care and growing professional relationships:

6.3-emotional-labor_v1Download

Complete Chapter 6 and Proceed to Chapter 7