Relationships count! Many times your effectiveness as a leader hinges on the strength of your relationships. Your influence is directly affected by the quality of your relationships. Yet, many leaders let the “urgent” steal from them golden opportunities for connection.
Results from a new study, 2012 GE Global Innovation Barometer, indicates that today there is a more collegial and personal view of leadership. The survey confirms that in today’s globalized and digital world, collaboration is essential to innovation. And innovation is key for business growth.
The key to collaboration is relationships built with effective communication. As a leader, there should be nothing more important to you than using every opportunity available for relationship building. It’s not as difficult and time consuming as you may think.
Getting to know key people deeper and better requires time. But here are 7 simple suggestions for relationship building that take very little time. Yet, they can help you build, maintain, and enhance relationships.
- Practice common courtesy. Greet people as you walk around your work place. Remember projects they are working on and ask about them. Remember family important moments and ask, for example, if Robert was accepted to his College of choice.
- Get to know them. Make it a point to get to know better at least 2 people a week. The secret to good collaboration is knowing the people you work with. Don’t limit your interactions to people of your same age cohort, sex, and race. Remember that innovation and collaboration flourish in diversity.
- Be accessible. Be accessible, especially to your team, when they need you, not when it suits you. Be open to feedback and differences of opinion and style.
- Show genuine interest. You can not “fake it” here. Your questions, comments, and body language will tell if your interest is genuine. Make a point of stopping at least once in your going to do your “important” work, and ask a specific questions about a project some one is working on. Or ask about how the leadership training is going for that promising young leader.
- Listen. Don’t be in such a hurry that you interrupt and ignore. When someone comes to talk to you, stop what you are doing, give them your full attention, look them in the eye, and listen.
- Encourage. Make positive and constructive comments. Be generous with encouragement and appreciation to those you lead. Make them feel valued and respected. This will keep them motivated and will lift their energy.
- Be creative in finding time. Make a point of keeping relationship building as part of your to-do list. Maybe bring an extra lunch bag and invite someone to share it with you while you interact. Or show up at a meeting of a team just to listen, show your support, and engage.
Remember. . .
Whatever you do, remember that relationship building is probably THE most important activity you can engage on. The stronger your relationships, the more influence and respect you will have as a leader.
Great leaders realize that people are the greatest resource and asset. They deserve and require care, understanding, encouragement, and respect. Therefore,
Go build relationships!
Photo by: onigiri-kun