Building Strong Relationships in the Workplace

It's easy to forget that we spend over a third of our week at work, and as we spend almost another third sleeping, you can see how being happy and productive at work is important. 

But we sometimes neglect to put the effort in to building strong relationships with our peers, our teams and our stakeholders. This places pressure on ourselves and in turn adds to stress, anxiety, low motivation and high levels of frustration.

Here's the thing, if I was to ask you what a Sales Director, Marketing Director, Production Manager, Team Leader, CEO, production assistant, engineer, etc... does for the business, you would be able to list quite confidently their focus and responsibility.

Now, if I ask you, what makes them tick?, what motivates them?, what value do they add to the team or business? its a much harder question to answer. Not because we are critical of their performance but because we generally don't concern ourselves with another employees motivation or personality.

High performing teams however do understand each others strengths, weaknesses, motivations and personalities. A high performing team will know who is best served to complete a task, who steps up in difficult situations, and why a member of the team is minutia on the detail whilst another is big picture.

Learning to understand the inherent value each team member brings to the table is a really important asset for any business, teams can work together, draw on each others strengths and support when problems or opportunities arise.

Here are some ideas on how you might develop those relationships.

Build Trust - Trust is the foundation of any good relationship. If you trust your colleagues, you are more likely to enjoy working with them and be honest in your communications. To build trust, make sure you are dependable. Stay true to your word by completing any tasks you agree to on time and to the best of your abilities.

Show Appreciation - It's easy to get caught up in your day-to-day tasks and take your colleagues for granted. Make sure to compliment your co-workers when they do something well, or even write a quick thank-you note when colleagues help out to let them know they are appreciated. 

Be Positive - Being around negativity can be draining. Instead, focus on the good things about your job and life. Positivity can be contagious and can help you become someone that others enjoy being around. 

Avoid Gossiping - Gossiping can cause mistrust and animosity. If you have an issue with a co-worker, talk to them directly about the issue in a mature and respectful manner. Be considerate of other people's opinions and try focusing on the positive characteristics about co-workers rather than the negatives.

Take Time to Build Relationships - Finding time to connect with co-workers can be difficult when workloads are high. However, even taking five minutes to talk with someone over coffee in the break room can be a great way to connect with colleagues. 

Be Aware of Others - If you share an office with others, be considerate of their preferences. For instance, some people prefer to work in silence, so wear headphones when you're listening to music instead of playing it through your computer's speakers. 

Support Each Other's Work - Ask your co-workers to get involved in a task you are working on and volunteer to join others' projects. Collaborating on a shared assignment gives you the opportunity to get to know one another better.

At Rosia Bay, we recently certified as a practitioner in the PROPHET development tool. Approved by the British Psychological Society, the tool can be used to measure the effectiveness and impact of pivotal relationships by highlighting strengths of individuals and cross matching with peers to show the value of the whole.