Introduction
If you’re a manager, it’s up to you to build and maintain good relationships with the people who work for you. Relationships with your direct reports (good or bad) will have a direct impact on the effectiveness of your team.
But how do you go about building these kinds of connections? It all starts with creating opportunities for meaningful interaction between yourself and those on your team.
In this post we’ll explore some easy ways to create more relational connections with your employees so that everyone feels connected and inspired in their work environment!
Set aside time just to talk
A great way to build a relationship with co-workers is by being available to them in non-work situations. Set aside regular office hours that are devoted solely to conversations with employees, and tell them you will be available at those times if they need anything.
By making yourself available for conversations, you’ll be better able to understand their needs and adjust your management style to better suit them. Plus, it will give them the chance to open up to you in a more informal setting, which can be incredibly beneficial for fostering a relationship between yourself and your staff.
If you work in an office setting, you may even want to consider inviting employees over for dinner or drinks after work on occasion.
Consider also holding luncheons where people can get together outside of their normal work groups and have fun talking about things outside of the workplace environment.
These types of activities will help contribute towards building stronger relationships among team members and make them feel more included within your organization as a whole
Be a good listener
You may have heard of listening as a concept, but do you really know what it means?
Listening is more than just hearing what someone is saying.
Instead, active listening is a skill that can be learned and practiced.
When we listen to understand rather than respond, we give the other person permission to feel their feelings without judgment or criticism. This allows them to feel safe enough to share their thoughts and ideas with us in the future.
Being able to listen well will help you become an excellent leader who inspires others by example.
Remember details about their life outside work
Spending time with the people you manage in the office is important, but if you want to build a strong relationship that lasts outside of work too, it’s important to get to know them as a person.
Ask about their families and hobbies, what they’re interested in and what they’re learning about. It also helps to ask how their career goals are going and what their strengths and weaknesses are.
It’s essential that you find out more than just what they do at work; understanding someone’s values will help you connect with them on a personal level as well as give insight into how they view certain situations and make decisions in life.
Here are some questions you can ask:
- What do you enjoy doing on the weekends?
- Are there any hobbies you particularly enjoy?
- Do you have any family or close friends you visit often?
- What do you like to read or watch for entertainment?
- What are your aspirations for this year and beyond?
By asking questions that go beyond work, you’ll be able to gain a better understanding of the people you manage and foster more meaningful relationships with them.
It is critically important that you actually remember their answers to these questions, because constantly asking the same questions or forgetting major life events communicates a lack of care.
Be a resource to develop their career
Show that you really care about those you supervise by being a champion for them in their current role and future development.
By being a resource and asset to help build their career, you will build respect, trust and admiration. This will encourage them to be open to your advice and appreciate that you are more than just their leader on paper.
Some basic ways to be a resource for your direct reports include:
- Providing opportunities for growth and development.
- Mentoring employees by reviewing their performance and providing feedback.
- Offering professional development opportunities, such as conferences, trainings, or leadership programs. Even if you can’t pay for such opportunities, you can point them to free professional development resources.
- Giving employees feedback on their performance as well as ideas for improvement in a non-threatening way (e.g., give them monthly reviews).
- Always be open to feedback, ask them if there are ways that you could be a better resource to them.
Build relationships of mutual trust
A healthy relationship is built on trust. Trust must be earned over time by being trustworthy and consistent in your words and actions.
If you want to build trust with the people you manage, here are some things to keep in mind:
- Be willing to be vulnerable with them—but don’t expect them to know how to respond or react when they see this vulnerability from you.
- Let go of any expectations about what they should do/say/feel in response—this is their journey, not yours!
- Offer feedback without judgement or criticism (i.e., avoid “shoulds” like “You should just do…”)
Compliment their contributions
Giving compliments will help you build up your team and show them that their contributions mean a lot to you. To effectively give a compliment, make sure that you do so in person rather than over email or text.
When giving a compliment, start with the behaviors or attributes that are less obvious so as not to come off as patronizing.
For example, if someone has done something particularly well-done work on an important project, consider saying something like: “You did an incredible job in connecting personally with the executives for Acme Billboard Corp in that meeting on Tuesday. I feel very confident about the outcome. I especially appreciated how you asked about how they have been facing some of the downturn in ad spend this quarter.”
If your employee feels appreciated by others at work who recognize his/her contributions positively—even if they don’t receive any formal praise—this can help boost self-esteem and morale at work.
Remember to always keep praise specific. Giving generic, meaningless praise is worse than giving none at all. It feels forced and fake.
If you’re struggling to think of specific ways to praise your direct reports, you can ask yourself the following questions:
- What was their contribution to this result?
- What did they do or say that was particularly impactful or helpful?
- How did their behaviour or attitude during the project make it successful
- What insight or wisdom did they bring to the table that was valuable?
- What did they do that stands out?
- What would you have done differently if they hadn’t stepped in?
By taking the time to thoughtfully recognize the contributions of each individual in your team, you will be helping to build stronger relationships among team members and make them feel more included within your organization as a whole.
Conclusion
To build and maintain good relationships, you must be willing to invest time and energy.
It’s never easy to work closely with someone else, but if you focus on the good aspects of each person’s personality, and approach them with humility, patience, and a genuine desire for their company—then it can become rewarding for both parties involved.
This is worth your investment. Good leaders are those who can create positive relationships with their direct reports. They provide them with the opportunity to succeed, and will always remember that what matters most is the people.