Leadership is about Relationship

Leadership at its essence is about relationships.  To lead you must have people who are willing to follow. Followers may choose to follow a leader because of the leader’s title or position, but followership solely from formal authority is often short lived. 

Leaders who struggle to connect with employees will often rely on “because I said so” tactics to get employees to perform.  This approach tends to further alienate employees, leads to lower engagement, lower performance, higher turnover, and ultimately less optimal business outcomes.

Over the course of my career I have worked with hundreds of entrepreneurs and business leaders.  The most successful leaders I’ve met establish trusting, mutually beneficial, colleague relationships with those around them.

Think about your friendships and other relationships outside of work.  What makes those relationships strong?  Trust, safety, knowing someone has your back, and receiving kind and candid feedback are all hallmarks of healthy relationships that also hold true for relationships with employees.

How can I strengthen my relationship with employees?

You can work on strengthening relationships at work.  Start simple.  Think about what you know about your employees both personally and about their career aspirations.  If you don’t know a lot about your employees make it a point to have conversations about weekend plans, vacations, hobbies, etc. 

Be intentional about setting aside time with employees to discuss career goals.  Avoid task or project conversation during this meeting.  Simply focus on the employee and what he or she says.  Genuinely listen in all conversations.

How often do you give specific and positive feedback to employees?  If you find you rarely take the time to recognize others, set a goal to give genuine positive and specific praise to three people each day.

Ask for feedback from your employees.  Feedback can be gathered informally through conversations with employees or in a more formal 360 feedback assessment.  When employees see your willingness to receive feedback and your visible efforts to make change you build trust and good will.

Taking time to improve relationships now will pay dividends down the road.  Become a leader that others want to follow. 

Providing genuine and consistent recognition is a great way to start building stronger relationships with your employees. Download our free guide, 5 Tips for Recognizing Employees.