Networking and career building tend to go hand in hand for the busy professional. In any job though, one thing is certain, building a better relationship with those you work with can essentially build your career. New Quest Coaching and Consulting are top-notch providers of team building and leadership training for business professionals, and they are bringing attention to 5 ways that better work relationships help shape your career (and even the careers of those around you).
Though social media might tell you that the only way to the top of the professional ladder is to be ruthless with a me-first attitude, no corporate leader or industry titan got to where they are alone. Your network and who you bestow trust in says a lot about who you are. If you don’t trust anyone, that could look poorly upon you, and in order to be trusted, you must give trust. This doesn’t mean to open up your heart to a stranger, but fostering a positive business relationship based on minor blocks of trust can lead to a strong foundation. As trust is given, it is earned and with greater trust comes increasing responsibility. Let’s put it this way, if your co-workers fall in line behind you when the time comes to make a decision, that alone speaks volumes to your potential as a future leader.
If complete autonomy on a production line is total trust, then the polar opposite of trust is micromanagement. In a situation where several efficient, proven members of a team come together on a project, but a leader with a tendency to micromanage (whether you or someone else) comes into the picture, the expectation is to see a decrease in work output and capabilities as employees are constantly second guessing their decisions. The solution here is to specifically outline everyone’s position on the team and their duties, expectations, and potential shortcomings. This can only be done with open communication during all phases of a project, or even on a daily basis during routine assignments. Discuss goals, outcomes, and pitfalls, and you will soon find micromanagement subsides, making room for a boost in efficiency and capacity.
Sometimes, there is a discrepancy in a product, service, or duty between employees. While workplace spats should be expected, adapting and overcoming those hurdles will define what kind of relationship you have with your fellow employee. If both employees, or all involved in a disagreement, agree to commitment to excellence, and agree to be the best that they can be towards a cause, then it becomes much easier to understand, forgive, assist, and aid those you work alongside. Employees should expect to share at least one commonality with even the person in the department, agency, or office they connect with the least, and that should be to ensure that the stakeholders/employer/customers/client receive the best service they can get. Focus on the company goals during difficult periods.
Just as it takes four or more soldiers to run a submarine, it should be understood that no project or objective is completed alone. Going along with the theme of fostering relationships, the greatest entrepreneurs had help, whether it was hired, borrowed or gleaned some other way. Everyone needs help, and that help is the collective mind of multiple people focused on a common task. It should be understood though that too many hands in the jar can cause a pileup, especially when everyone wants to go another direction. (See Common Ground). By identifying your coworkers’ strengths and your own shortcomings, the power of multiple people working is both a good way to overcome blockades, but exactly the way innovation happens. Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne, the collective mind of Apple. Bill Gates and Paul Allen, the collective mind of Microsoft. Teamwork drives innovation.
A poor relationship with a co-worker can often cause a decomposition of output as neither party is communicating effectively. The expected result is one party often takes up more duties, and quality/output begins to suffer, and strength rises, only leading to more mistrust and greater rifts to repair. This increased stress can quickly become bad habits and patterns of shortages, turnover and lost profits due to the heavy losses associated with bringing on new employees. By opening our minds to leaning on each other, working with one another, and trusting in one another, the physical and mental toll of increased stress are diminished, and all parties can benefit from improved health overall.
While the focus of the above topics has been on fostering relationships with co-workers, subordinates and supervisors, it should be openly stated that your network goes beyond the office. Suppliers, vendors, stakeholders, even your building manager all have a hand in a company’s success. If you focus on enriching the lives of others, that will make ripples you may not feel now, but along the line as those people you helped turn around to return the favor. Take a minute, place yourself in the shoes of those you work around, and ask yourself how you can improve the quality of the relationship you have with them.
All the benefits of nurturing a positive workplace relationship focus on one thing, the collective, with minor influences from the individual. It should be understood that these things take time, may be awkward at first, and require every cog in the machine to drive it forward. Naturally, when all workers are in sync, the benefit can be felt at every level. With a bit of trust, open communication and a tad bit of empathy, a workplace can turn from a battleground to a smoothly running machine. if your team wants to be stronger, check out our team building and leadership coaching services for more information, then contact us to get started!
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Shane Jensen