Creating a can-do culture. - - Lesson #4

[Leslie Reid]

Building Meaningful Workplace Relationships

By: Leslie R. Reid, Fedcap Leadership Academy

Connections are important in all aspects of our lives. How we show up in our personal relationships forms the core framework of who we are, and our workplace relationships often mirror our personal relationships. This article will explore the building blocks that strengthen relationships between colleagues and examines how the connections we make with each other are instrumental to building a strong workplace morale. Managing and developing work-based relationships takes time and effort. The people who rely on you at work have a vested interest in your well-being and satisfaction, because their work well-being and satisfaction is tied to yours. The seven questions below are intended to guide you and your colleagues toward meaningful and supportive workplace relationships. The author believes that identifying and practicing these intentional strategies will strengthen your teams’ level of connection. These connections will provide balance and support during the best of times as well as when your team is faced with challenges.


1. Do you operate from a place of mutual respect and trust? Does your team operate from a collective mindset that was established through previous success and failures? Does each person on the team understand the value they add? Are roles and responsibilities clearly defined and fluid enough to encourage growth and innovation?



2. Does each member of the team pull their own weight? Can the people who rely on you at work depend on you to show up as your best self?



3. Are members of your team willing to go beyond -WIIFM (What’s in it for me)? Is the team encouraged to support the individual accomplishments of colleagues?



4. Is there a shared sense of pride in your work – Does your work product embody the best possible model of service provision?



5. Are you measuring and reporting back the impact the team is having? Does your team concretely understand the short- and long-term effects their work has on your participants or on the companies identified goals and objectives?



6. Do your team members feel supported? Are opportunities for growth open and available? Is there a professional development plan to grow the skillset of your team? Are people encouraged to ask for help when needed?



7. Are you leading by example in this area? Do you respond in the affirmative when someone asks for your assistance?


My leadership brand is built on the principle that the connections I make with my team are the essential elements of how we build and sustain a sense of relevance and interdependence on each other.


As a leader, I have found my most effective and engaged teams:

• Trust my word
• Count on our collective vision when challenges arise
• Feel personally supported by me
• Know I see myself as a member of the team
• Receive concrete feedback on the impact of our efforts
• Have pride in our collective work

[jennfriesen]

Leslie, you know I have been looking forward to this assignment for a while now and you did not disappoint! Technically speaking, I like that your article "looks" like an article with your title and a summary. It is also written in an easy-to-read format. I like that you pose questions to the reader in order to lead them in the direction you feel will get them to better connections. While you took up almost every bit of your 500-word limit, I was hoping to see some of the content dedicated to guiding the reader with "how" you feel they can use these questions to achieve the desired results but overall, I truly enjoyed your post. I look forward to your presentation on Friday!