BABY ON BOARD

This is the first in a series of articles on relationships and how critical they are in the business world.  I will examine several facets of relationships including their importance and substance, how they can be nurtured and managed, and the various types.

Over the past few years I have noticed more and more cars with this sign in their rear windows.  BABY ON BOARD.  The use of such signs as I recall was popular back in the early 1990s, but at some point during that decade seemed to fade out.  It is a relatively small statement, but one that is undeniably powerful and here's why:  it changes the relationship.  (why is that?) You as a fellow motorist having seen this sign are now made aware of something different about that car; something that makes that car with the sign stand out from the other cars around you; something about the occupants of that car that is different from the occupants in the other cars.  (what's different?) You now feel like you have a connection to that car; a connection to the occupants of that car; a connection to the consequences should anything happen to that car behind which you are driving.  (it's just a sign).

I am convinced that the most powerful force in the business world is the relationship.  The relationship is what drives business: from productivity to discretionary effort; from turnover to associate engagement; from harmony to discord; from stagnance to innovation; from good to great; relationships make the business world move and breathe.  A company's ability to maximize trust, create and maintain connections, and nurture the growth and development of its existing and future relationships will determine its success or failure.  Whether it is an internal relationship or an external relationship, there are many opportunities daily for a company and its employees to get it right or screw up.  And even when there is a screw up, there are opportunities for service recovery where the relationship can be salvaged and even improved.

As you can imagine, there are many relationships that exist in the business world including: employee - boss; employee - company;  employee - employee;  employee - department; department -  department;  company -  suppliers; company - competitor; company - customer; company - community; company - prospective employee; employee - prospective employee; employee - community; and so on and so forth.   At any one time in a company of say 30-40 employees there could literally be hundreds of relationships.  THIS is why relationships are so powerful - they are occurring every day all day in some way, shape, or form, and the decisions made by the individuals of that company will impact at least one of those relationships.

Back to that car. (there it is.) You appear to slow down; you appear to drive more carefully (am I going the speed limit?); you might even change lanes so you will not be so close just in case something "happens." (why do I respect that particular car?) Of course, once you or that car makes a turn, the connection seems to drift away.  You unconsciously revert to the style of driving you exhibited prior to seeing the sign. (thank goodness the car turned!)