Navigating Professional Relationships - Teachers and Professors

One person cannot do much alone. 

To write a program, we need programmers who built development environments to translate high-level language into machine code. To build a PC, we need engineers who already built and manufactured microprocessors. To take a picture, we need people who made the camera. To write a blog, we need people who provide the platform. Thank you, blogger. 

The same concept extends to work life and school life, especially when dealing with organizations. School is an organization, often more complex than it should be. To start a new club in a school, one has to talk to different teachers and administrators to get approval while securing a decent amount of interest from other people within the school. 

I have experience establishing a club and an internship. I made a few mistakes and ended up souring a few relationships. Overall, I can conclude that not everything in life works in your favor, so be prepared to handle various situations. 

Here are several mentalities to help you build a relationship. 

Picture by JH.

Maintain a positive mentality. 

No matter how unfavorable a situation is to you, keep a positive mentality around teachers or professors. Do not start complaining, and instead, use logic to analyze and present the situation. Positivity is contagious; and so is negativity. 

Look for common interest. 

Teachers are humans too, with their interests. If you need help, then it is in your interest to seek help and build rapport with the teacher. However, if you can offer something that interests the teacher, then it is even better. Be sure to participate actively in discussions around the subject the teacher or professor instructs. Be careful not to seem overly arrogant when presenting your ideas. 

Keep many options open. 

Odds are, even if you are generally a nice person, some teachers may not like you. Don't make a big deal if a teacher does not want to help you, instead, look for other teachers that may be able to help. Often, there is more than one way to solve a problem. 

Help!

Humans have an inherent gene to reciprocate, most of the time! Go out of your way to help someone, and they are more likely to help you in return. This is probably the most reliable way to establish a positive relationship; it can be hard to find something to help with, but as long as you are expressing your interest to help positively, it is a good start.