Setting a Culture in Relationships

For many leaders forming relationships with your team, colleagues, suppliers, and/or with clients is paramount in running a successful business.? We often struggle with managing so many complex relationships that have different needs simultaneously.

It is the collection of those relationships that establishes a ‘culture’ experience that permeates your network, brand, and the communities in which you work.? According to the Oxford Language Dictionary, 'culture' is "the ideas, customs, and social behavior of a particular people or society."

But how you form and manage those relationships sets the tone and (in many ways) the roadmap for how trust gets built and activated in a new or a well-established relationship.? The environment we create surrounds and determines the culture that both parties in a relationship agrees to participate in and sustain.?

Whether we are conscious of it or not, our relationships are formed by our past experiences and the standards or behaviors with which we set around those relationships.? If we set a behavior of active sharing and transparency, that is the environment and culture that takes priority.? If we are more closed and formal, we encourage behaviors of moving slowly, withdrawing, being reserved, holding information, and live inside a culture that reflects this choice.

When I am first getting to know someone in my personal or professional life, I introduce my standards (e.g., collaboration, active sharing, transparency, openness, curiosity) through the questions I ask.? I will often be curious about their experience on a project or something that captures their interest or ambition.?In other situations, we may be working with a team facing issues that they may be struggling with, or questions the team has about what we are building together.

People’s reaction to your questions can tell you a lot about their receptivity to the standards, values, and the pace you set.? If you receive hard resistance, it doesn’t necessarily mean that the person cannot get to the standard you set; they may just need more time to feel comfortable.? In this situation, I may ask, what else they need from me (thus eliminating any unforeseen barriers I may be eliciting).? If the person is oversharing, you can manage by slowing them down and expressing your level of discomfort with their behavior.? Setting boundaries will encourage them to meet you where you are.

What’s critical as a leader is that even though we can set the tone of the culture, we must be open to adjustments from those participating to ensure full engagement and psychological safety.? It’s in that safety when a culture can be activated and the road to building trust and high performance can be achieved.

#ceo #ceocoach #leadership #executivecoach #leadership development #culture #letstalk Joe Tria, MFA

Joe Tria, CEO & Founder, The Executive Coaching Corner, Chicago, IL 60647