Welcome to the Mentoring Minute™ series. Each week, I’ll answer a reader question and provide at least one great idea on succeeding at work, winning at life, and enjoying it.

Are you someone in the workplace who frequently initiates coffee, lunch, and other casual outings with colleagues? Or do you find yourself focused solely on your work and shying away from social situations in the office?

Research shows that we are happier, more productive, effective, and fulfilled when we make friends at work. Relationships are the foundation for just about any kind of happiness – so why wouldn’t it be so at work? In this week’s Mentoring Minute™ and in my blog post, Happiness At Work Starts With Friends – A 6 Step Guide to Building Workplace Relationships, I share six tips I took in my own career to cultivate better workplace relationships, which led to greater success and happiness. I hope you put at least one of these tips into practice this week!