Good Evening
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Have you ever worked with a new leader or supervisor, and they immediately start
trying to make changes, and hold people accountable to their “new” way of doing things? Annoying? Yes! Common? Most certainly. So how do we solve this? Maybe you have been this person at one time. I know I have!
As leaders we pride ourselves on influence and recruiting relationships that help us
achieve our causes. We simply cannot be as effective in our roles without spending the necessary effort to build up our people.
A quote that has come in handy many times when I’m working with leaders, and clients
is by Josh McDowell. He states, “Rules without relationships lead to rebellion.” Said another way commands void of connection lead to chaos.
This truth was experienced through trial and error during my managerial days. I
remember taking over a new team as a retail store manager, and I let my insecurities get the best of me. I believed that I was a push over, and I needed to establish dominance with this new team. Immediately, I came in hot. I started disciplining, and firing my staff because I took their lack of rule - following as rejection to my leadership. I terminated nine people on a team of 20 in just 90 days.
How chaotic and tense do you think my team was during this time? They didn’t trust
me, and I didn’t take the time to connect or let alone build relationships. My insecurities made me feel unworthy of the role I was in, and I believed that I needed to be someone I wasn’t to get people performing and complying. I reflect often on my early days in leadership and cringe at my approach.
What’s the importance of having a relationship? It allows you to turn transactional
interactions into transformational ones. These moments of connection allow you to implement structure, and hold people accountable to a vision. A vision that is shared by all because they see themselves as a part of the bigger picture. You as the leader have to establish a clear vision, and then through a commitment to connection, you foster a relationship to bring that vision to fruition through people.
Consider this:
- Relationships allow for collaboration and connect people to purpose.
A workplace filled with folks that understand each other because the leadership team
values creativity and collaboration. It’s no secret at this point the pandemic has forever altered workplace connection. To foster connection you have to be intentional and explicit in your actions as a leader. We can’t simply flood employees with ROI jargon that emphasizes revenue over relationships. The people working for your organization care much more about purpose than profit. How are you modeling this?
Fact: Organizations with a purpose bigger than money have a growth rate triple
that of their competitors. (Forbes article by Lisa Earle McLeod)
- Build connection time into the work day.
As a Director of Sales and Service, I led a team of nearly 900 people across two
states. My direct report team was 12 people. There was no way I could connect with everyone, so I established quarterly 1:1’s that had to be completed by my direct reports with one another. As the leader, I spoke often about my most important professional value, relationships! If we were going to be an award-winning sales team, people had to connect with a larger vision.
Find opportunities to build connections with people in the midst of the work day.
Consistently building in moments that prioritizes team-building time will increase workplace morale and engagement. The advantages that this type of culture brings is limitless.
Use your voice to create meaningful relationships. Connecting on a human level is
what brings increased purpose to the workplace. It allows for people to be their most productive selves.
