Relational Foundation

Remember hearing the “wise man built his house upon the rock?”

Well, in a manager’s case, a wise manager builds their foundation on relationships.

Of course I don’t mean literally standing on top of another person…

But if there’s one area to lay your leadership infrastructure on it’s connecting with people.

I’m sure you’ve heard the saying, “it’s not about what you know, but who you know.”

It’s a true statement.

Whether you’re a new or experienced manager, the greatest buffer in your career from mistakes is relationships.

Think about it.

It’s only a matter of time before you make a mistake (whether accidental or on purpose).

When you do, pray you have people who support you for that moment.

Now crisis isn’t the only basis you need relationships for, yet it’s worth building them over time for this instance alone.

Relational leaders are motivated to help others.

They view themselves as servants.

When your foundation as a leader is built on relationships people feel valued.

It’s more about the person and not just about them accomplishing the task.

This doesn’t mean getting stuff done isn’t important, because it is.

Think back to your favorite leaders and I bet they built a connection with you over time.

When coaching manager’s I emphasize this point especially when facilitating 1:1’s.

I suggest using up to 50% of your scheduled time discussing personal issues.

That isn’t a hard rule, but with a solid relational foundation you’ve earned the right to bring up challenging conversations.

Most leaders underplay the relational side of things.

But without it you’re only a boss.

There’s an art to building relationships as a manager, but it’s not much different than personal friendships.

Start by finding one thing in common and build from there.

Every relationship has a starting point and the quicker you can establish it, the better.

To some leaders forming relationships comes easy or flows naturally, whereas for others its trivial.

Regardless the difficulty level, the importance of building relationships as a manager is paramount for success.

In fact, if you trace every person’s reason whey they left their job, ? of them would answer because of a poor manager.

So if you’re more a of task-master and building relationships is challenging, message me/comment for help.

God Bless,

Scott