Relationships can be tricky, can’t they? We all bring our own opinions, past experiences, moods, and emotions into each conversation and interaction that we have with one another, affecting the quality and the health of each relationship. And that’s why it’s so important that we understand how to lead ourselves well and how to show up well to those around us, because relationships are a gift. We get to influence people around us, and we can choose whether that influence is positive or negative.

Our overall well-being is impacted by the level of social interaction in our lives and the health of our relationships, so to lead yourself well, you must get clear on the social side of your life. In this article, we discuss why social well-being matters to our lives and leadership, and the three key components that make it up.

Why is Social Well-Being Important?  

Research has revealed that loneliness is just as dangerous as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. So, it turns out that social engagement actually affects our health. But the social aspect of well-being is often overlooked—and it’s usually because we’re too busy. We often cancel plans when we have other (supposedly more important) tasks to complete, ignoring just how impactful social engagement can be to our health. Too frequently, we consider social interaction to be a want, not a need and, therefore, we prioritize work, cleaning, things we have to do instead of a fun dinner or event with friends that might boost our mood and energize us, helping us to actually complete our tasks more quickly than we otherwise would have. The benefits of social interaction need to be both understood and considered if we’re going to work toward fostering a strong social well-being, and in turn, a healthy overall well-being.

At Building Champions, we believe there are three key components to social well-being, so let’s dig into them.

3 Key Components of Social Well-Being

1. Healthy Relationships. Relational health can be a hard thing to quantify because the health of a relationship may be determined differently by each person. Sometimes we may think our relationship with a friend, family member, partner, spouse, or colleague is healthy and strong, but they may think otherwise. And that is why it’s important to spend intentional time checking in with the people we love. Our relationships change, grow, and evolve as we change, grow, and evolve, but to keep them healthy, we must first be working toward health ourselves—and that’s self-leadership. You can only control you. But how someone relates to you may very well be in response to how you show up to them. Take accountability for your words and actions and always seek to serve, love, and respect those around you. In doing so, you’ll get to navigate the world with healthy, supportive relationships—increasing your own well-being and contributing to the healthy well-being of others as well.

    

2. Strong Communication Skills. Behavioral psychologist Dr. Albert Mehrabian claims that 93% of communication is nonverbal—which makes active listening especially integral to overall effective communication. And this is where emotional intelligence (EQ or EI) really comes into play. As we’ve discussed before, EQ is thankfully something that can be developed and is important to consistently work on. But if you really want to foster clear communication and open dialogue, then you must create an authentic relational environment where people feel safe to be vulnerable—and even disagree with you. Remember, it’s okay to agree to disagree, and sometimes you have to for the sake of a relationship. To have healthy relationships, we need to listen just as much if not more than we talk, seeking to understand others through intentional curiosity, and always assuming positive intent.  

3. A Sense of Belonging. We all need to feel like we belong. To be human is to have a basic fundamental need to be accepted and supported. And it is such a gift to give another person. When you reach out and include someone, you’re offering them a sense of security and support. Think about a time when you felt excluded from a group. (Most of have childhood stories to draw upon.) How did that make you feel? Now, think about a time when you felt included and welcomed into a new group or environment. How did that make you feel? The contrasting emotions felt by those opposite experiences tell us everything we need to know. We all need support. We all need to be included. We all need one another. So, don’t close yourself off to new people or new environments, and don’t miss the opportunity to include someone who might be looking to belong. When we help someone else find acceptance and support, we’ll inadvertently increase our own social well-being—and that’s a win for everyone.

Are you wanting to increase your social well-being, but could use a bit more guidance? We’d love to help. Our team of coaches have helped countless leaders grow in self-leadership and experience healthy well-being, positively impacting their lives and careers. Learn more about our Leadership Coaching offering below and reach out with questions! We’d love to connect.