Leading 201 - Relational Leadership

Recently we celebrated Mothers Day with three generations and four mothers.?We shared good, bad and awful stories.?There was a lot of fun and at the end of the day we were all exhausted. As a family we love spending time together, even more so when there is a special celebration.?The more time we spend together the better the relationships.?

Unfortunately, not all families are like this as we can see in the image above!

Does your workplace resemble a celebratory family gathering, or the family above where the conversation may be stale and lifeless and you can't wait to leave??Leaders play an important role when it comes to building relations in families, their teams and even more so with their clients.

The term “relationship” means that two or more people have connections.?It could be by birth, marriage or by joining an organisation and connecting with other employees.

In the case of our family the relationship is based on the common denominator that we come from the same parents.?When the in-laws are present the married children are the common denominator.?

What happens in your work place??Do you know what your employees have in common, what their values or interests are??If we knew more about them by default we would be able to build better relationships.?

The more successful companies provide a platform where employees can join “clubs” where they share sport, hobbies or interests in common.?The common denominator creates a connection and initiates the start of and strengthening of relationships.

Here are some things we can do to build better relationships.

1. Time - Spend time together.?It is good to spend work hours and some social time together.
2. Authenticity - Be authentic with each other; this builds trust.
3. Communication - What we say and do communicates a message, and this needs to be clear and consistent.
4. Gratitude - Showing gratitude and appreciation or recognising what others have done for you.

The world is diverse and I am not suggesting that we have to build relationships with every employee in our organisations.?My experience has taught me that when there are good relationships in place the business outcomes are more positive.?I have seen the benefits of good relationships in project teams dealing with complex issues and when sales are conducted.

Relationships can be so strong that you could even change your car brand!?Some people take their relationship so seriously that when the salesman moves from selling one luxury German car to another, the buyer follows them and changes their brand of motor vehicle!

I trust that you as a leader will be able to build great relationships like we continued to do over the week-end and that you will be able to improve your relationships, after all they are critical to a productive and fulfilling life.