How important is likeability to you?
Do you think it's a driver of success in both your personal and professional life?
Here's our take: being likeable actually gives you a leg up in your career and can have an incredibly positive impact on your personal life as well.
So let's take a look at five reasons to start working on your likeability as it can change your life for the better:
1. Never Underestimate The Importance Of Likeability
Some might argue that first impressions aren't everything. But when it comes to likeability, we would argue that they are actually … everything!
First impressions often set the tone for a relationship before words are even exchanged. Furthermore, the key to understanding likeability and its importance as well as worth lies in a mix of warmth, authenticity, and approachability – all tapered with good communication skills, of course.
This combination is a very potent one as it often lays the foundation for open conversation and working together. It also lays the bedrock on which ideas thrive, and builds creativity and teamwork in any workplace.
People who are liked tend to bond easily with others. This ability is something that can really take you places in life. You really should be thinking about how to be more likeable, because people who are easy to bond with tend to get ahead in life a whole lot faster than others.
2. Likeability And Authenticity
To understand how being more likeable can change your life for the better, we need to understand authenticity and how it, in turn, it can make a person more likeable.
Being authentic also means being honest with yourself and others, so you create deeper connections that make you more open and approachable to others. People are quick to respect authenticity because it's a precursor to trustworthiness and integrity, both of which can strengthen relationships.
Now, let's shift our attention to self-awareness, a critical component of authenticity. Being fully aware of what your strengths and weaknesses are means that you‘ll feel more enriched in your dealings with people. So, when you start to accept how imperfect you really are, you open the doors to deeper connections and, thus, invite similar behaviour from other people.
Guess what happens? You become more likeable and people respond positively to you, something which can truly change your life, both in the short and long run.
3. Understand The Impact Of Likeability On Your Life
Some people believe that likeability is simply social compatibility. But in reality, it's so much more than that.
In the workplace, for example, likeability is about being approachable and engaging, ready to do things, and get things done. Managers and supervisors, for instance, who aren't likeable – or are even generally disliked – have a tendency to make others disloyal and unmotivated. On the other hand, when employees feel they matter and are cared for, they never shy away from going the extra mile.
Similarly, in everyday life, when people are likeable, they open the doors to long-term friendship and relationship building. The ability to build and maintain relationships leads to a better support system in every aspect of your life. In fact, it can also offer many emotional and practical advantages which improve life experiences and add to your wellbeing.
4. Be Inclusive and Be Included
Did you know that likeable people are almost always inclusive and, therefore, included in everything. They never go about their business out of fear of what might go wrong, but rather out of sheer positivity … and because it also makes them happy!
This means it's not surprising to see likeable people being the ones who are consulted most. People will value their perspective and when decisions are made, they're rarely left out of them. Having this kind of authority and importance in your repertoire can really make you excel in different areas of life, too.
5. Give Credit Where It's Due
Whether it's in the workplace or in your personal life, when you give credit where it's due, your likeability will increase. People who aren't afraid to share the spotlight are always more likeable, and if you do this, you will get ahead in life faster than others.
Even if you don't have a particularly outgoing personality or don't hand out compliments too generously, thanking or praising someone who has helped you - even with a menial everyday task – can make them feel highly valued. And they'll like you for it!
The more valued people feel around you, the more they'll take a liking to you. Think about it: throughout your life, haven't you seen how people who give credit to others and share the spotlight somehow seem to have more opportunities opening up?
What's Stopping You From Improving Your Likeability?
We all know it to be true, whether we acknowledge it or not: that likeable people regularly win out over others, especially in the long term.
So realise that it may not matter how hard-working, educated, smart, and experienced you are. If you're not likeable then you'll often lose out to the fella next to you – who is more fun to work with, inspires loyalty, and is simply easier to be around.
When's the last time you saw a really talented and gifted person fall into time-wasting complaining, gossip, and pessimism? And these people, without any intention to be like this, quickly become irritating to others.
Worse still, they don't realize that these self-harming behaviors are actually having a major impact on their progress in life. They are usually unaware of the fact that they need to up their likeability game!
No matter how you see it, likeability can determine just how well – or badly – you do in your life. So start working on it today and you'll never look back!
