About one-third or 30 percent of human life is spent working – Reference. It is clear that having good relationships with people we work with – from our superiors to the lowest in rank, is the key to making our jobs more fulfilling and rewarding, knowing that human beings are social creatures by nature.
The more comfortable workers are around one another and their bosses, the more confident they will feel voicing their opinions, brainstorming, and going along with new ideas, for instance.
Effective interpersonal work relationships form the cornerstone for success and satisfaction with our jobs and our careers. How important are effective work relationships? They form the basis for promotional opportunities, pay increment, and goal accomplishment.
Positive, powerful relationships in the workplace are also necessary for providing good quality care, building mutual trust and respect, encouraging each worker to work hand-in-hand and carry each other’s burdens.
It also effectively reduces stress and helps workers to enjoy optimal health with increased job satisfaction. This level of teamwork is essential to embrace change, creativity, and innovating; and when people see the successes of working together in this way, group morale and productivity soars.
You can damage your career and work relationships by the actions you take and the behaviors you exhibit with superiors and other workers at work. No matter your education, your experience, your personality, or your title, you will never accomplish your mission if you cannot build a good rapport with others.
In addition, what is your key desire at work other than earning enough to support your family? It is to accomplish your work mission. The Gallup organization studied indicators of work satisfaction.
They found that whether you have a best friend at work was one of the twelve key questions asked of employees that predicted job satisfaction. Without a good friend or friends, at work, the work satisfaction of employees deteriorates – thebalancecareers.
According to Mindtools also, Good work relationships give you freedom. Instead of spending time and energy dealing with negative relationships, you can, instead, focus on opportunities – from winning new business to focusing on personal development. Having a strong professional circle will also help you to develop your career, opening up opportunities that otherwise might pass you by.
Every good working relationship must have attributes such as trust, respect, inclusion, open-communication and self – awareness. There are key relationships that champion or consolidate your journey no matter the level you find yourself at work. These relationships are necessary to aid in navigating each maze with authority and humanity. In this article, we will consider three of these relationships and their benefits:
- The Mentor Relationship
- The Sponsor Relationship
- The Coaching Relationship
Even though these relationships are mentioned loosely in every conversation, conference and other platforms, when they are well-understood, well-guided and used well, they can lead to the make-or-break in life, love, success and business.
The mentorship relationship is the kind that uses the resources your company already has to improve employee satisfaction, develop leadership, and create lasting relationships with workers. It refers to a relationship between an experienced business person – the mentor and the business owner or employee – mentee. It can be used at all stages in the business life cycle and offers benefits to both mentors and mentees.
Both parties involved in a mentoring program gain the opportunity to recognize their abilities and limitations, highlighting areas for future development. Most importantly, mentoring serves as an opportunity outside of regular work interactions to discuss career opportunities, the optimal paths to growth, and how to get there with leadership support. Through mentoring you can develop your business skills for free, which can help you achieve success earlier than you may have done on your own.
A workplace sponsor is traditionally someone in a position in a company that is able to guide and influence your progress through the maze and politics of advancement. A sponsor takes an employee they think has potential and guides them in a different manner than a mentor or supporter would.
There continues to be evidence in studies that sponsorships are one of the most effective methods of advancing in an organization. Sponsors get employees noticed, and create opportunities for them to progress. A workplace sponsor usually identifies employees that are perched on the entresol, the level between levels, waiting for the chance to rise into the executive ranks. Sponsors, usually already executive grade, take an interest in furthering the advancement of the employees with the most potential. A sponsor’s interest can come from a desire to help others advance, but most of the time there are other motivators that influence a decision to sponsor someone.
The key motivator for finding a protégé is to further the interests and profitability of the company. A sponsor is not only necessary for movement into C Level positions, but it is also necessary for jump-starting many careers. You may not have the opportunities in front of you that you need to advance but a sponsor not only has the connections, they have the platform to get you noticed, nominated and moving forward – thebalancecareers.
Looking at the workspace nowadays, it is imperative to build effective work relationships and bond positively with people in order for your company to be successful.
The truth is, workplace relationships can be difficult although most people are not aware of it. Not only can they be difficult, but they can take quite a while to develop and can be broken in a instant.
Encouraging team members to spend more time building relationships both in and outside of the company is a vital part of a manager’s coaching effort. Relationships are fragile; therefore, managers need to coach their team members so they understand that while there are differing opinions, ideas and work habits, strong relationships can still be developed and sustained. Employees cannot be expected to agree on everything but they can still work together as a cohesive group.
Aside from the coaching relationship that a manager and employee need to develop, there are things that a manager can do to coach their employees to build good working relationships in the workplace such as: develop good communication skills; listen actively and effectively; develop and show a positive attitude; schedule team-building activities; learn to give as well as receive feedback; devote time to employees; address and resolve conflict promptly.
Managers and leaders that encourage and coach their team members to build relationships are more likely to work as a cohesive unit to meet the company’s goals. Companies that want to develop more productive and high-performing teams need to continue to encourage and support employees to develop positive workplace relationships – salesprogress.
Here are four keys traits amongst the many that are useful for effective workplace relationships:
- TRUST
The ability to be trusted by your superior is an indication that you are reliable. Likewise, the ability to trust other workers and the feeling that you can rely on them, is an important characteristic for effective workplace relationship. When you trust your team members, you can be open and honest in your thoughts and actions. This also saves you the time and energy to concentrate on more productive things so you do not have to waste time “watching your back.”
- ACCEPTANCE
Acceptance and understanding of one another and your role in the workplace relationship is an important attribute. Superiors should be able to identify the different abilities of each worker and position them to the advantage of the organization. Workers must also accept the fact that each person is unique, comes from a different background, have different beliefs, and have different levels of intelligence and understanding as well. Most of all, these differences create balance that is necessary for every organization.
- EFFECTIVE TEAM MEMBER
Individuals with the right frame of mind backed up by consistent actions are the effective team members. Being an effective team member is characterized by how you think and feel about your role and the actions you take to support the team’s goals. They understand that having a diversity of opinions leads to optimal solutions. Working well in a team setting with the mindset that teamwork is everyone’s responsibility, builds an effective workplace relationship that is stronger.
- OPEN COMMUNICATION
All good relationships depend on open, honest communication. Open communication is crucial to any relationship, including a workplace one. Encouraging open communication, asking questions and getting to know your other workers is one of the first steps toward an effective working relationship. The more effectively you communicate with your team whether you are sending emails, IMs, or meeting face-to-face or on video calls, the better you will connect and achieve the results needed.
Placing human relationships at the centre of the workplace is an important cause that takes a concerted, proactive effort on the part of corporate leadership. Although everyone plays a role in this process, change must first be demonstrated by an organization’s culture champions – leaders of HR, talent, and communications who have a personal investment in culture and engagement. This leadership by example naturally draws employees in to establish relationships that will make the workplace effective.
Are you ready for TRANSFORMATION?
Dzigbordi K. Dosoo: The H.E.L.P. Coach
Dzigbordi K. Dosoo is a Soft Skills Expert, Personal Impact, Professional Growth and Influence Expert specializing in Humanness, Entrepreneurship, Leadership and Power – H.E.L.P.
A career spanning over two decades, she has established herself as a Certified High Performance Coach, Speaker, Author, Wellness Expert and award-winning Entrepreneur with a clientele ranging from C-Suite Executives, Senior Management, Practitioners and Sales Leaders spanning 3 continents.
She is the Soft Skills Expert and Founder of Dzigbordi K. Dosoo (DKD) Holdings; a premier lifestyle business group with brand subsidiaries that include Dzigbordi Consulting Group& Allure Africa.
Dzigbordi has been featured on CNN for her entrepreneurial expertise. She is one of the most decorated female entrepreneurs in Ghana having being named “CIMG Marketing Woman of the Year” in 2009; “Top 10 most respected CEOs in Ghana, 2012; Global Heart of Leadership Award and, Women Rising “100 Most Influential Ghanaian Women”, 2017.
She can be reached on [email protected] and @dzigbordikwaku across all social media platforms.
