---

Guest post by: Martin Haworth Become an Author

Tweet

---

---

Managing is a people thing. To get the best from every one of your relationships will require efforts to ensure that everyone with whom you engage is 'turned on' to you, in whatever enterprise you are all engaged in. Employees

Whilst these are not the only workplace relationships a manager will be engaged in, they are likely to be the most important, encouraging the environment such that members of the team are focused on getting the job done.

The best managers adopt a consistent strategy for building individual relationships - whether they be with their team members or other relationships they have that impinge on the success - or otherwise - that the team seeks.

This consistency shows that the manager's behaviors are authentic and really meant, thus providing their people with a sense of trust because the realize that 'what-you-see-is-what-you-get' is who their manager is.

With individual team members, there will be a number of different types of interaction from instruction, to delegation; from coaching to managing performance; from discipline to career discussions and more.

When there is a consistency of relationship approach that works well for both sides, the trust created is vital, meaning that a strong bond is already in place to ensure that the best outcomes are achieved with both sides on the same side.

There are other relationships that matter.

Customers

It's a debatable point who is more important, the customer or employee. So let's suffice to say that both are vital. Interactions and relationship building with customers (or however they are defined in your organization) is a critical step in any successful activity, however large or small.

The time taken to build positive and constructive relationships with each and every valuable customer, is always worthwhile.

In this case, a manager cannot be everywhere at all times, so they have to work even harder to ensure that they have people in their team who will spread their message in all interactions with customers, building the ongoing relationships which will bear fruit in the future - as well as today.

Line Managers and Colleagues

Managers most often have their own manager,s as well as colleagues and a peer group as well. Whilst time spent here might seem less valuable than with customers and their own employees, there is always value in being your best with others who might prove useful in the future.

Although this might seem to be an investment of time that could be spared, the overall concept of workplace relationships is one of consistency, where the behavior of a manager is the same, whoever the interaction is with.

By showing this trait throughout all interactions, the relationships that are built will create added value as employees recognize and replicate those great behaviors themselves.

And the colleagues, line managers and others that fit this category are always worth investing in!

Suppliers

In recent times, the bullying tactics of large organizations with their suppliers, where they are squeezed on price to create the best margins for the buyer, have become seen to be both impractical, immoral and ultimately unsuccessful.

By building win-win relationships with suppliers where they can also be successful, the buyer develops a long-term strategy for ongoing success, not a short-term gain that is unsustainable. Organizations are recognizing that they need to provide for success in the future, rather than a one-time gain and lose ongoing business.

Other Stakeholders

Most organizations have other stakeholders who need to be nurtured for ongoing success. Often these may be hidden or even ignored, where a manager doesn't see the immediate value. Getting clear on who are stakeholders in any business is critical or the 'unknowns' start to grow, which is much less controllable.

Building effective relationships with all stakeholders is important as a minimum and then to pick and choose who is really worth extra cultivation, will be a choice made in relation to what's needed at the time. The initial relationships that are created are never lost and are always of value. Truth is, you just never know, so it's best to be ahead of the game - just in case!

The key element to finding, developing and then cultivating relationships is a consistent behavioral approach that is seen to be authentic, because it is.

This can be a challenge to some managers who find relationship building less natural than others and still, it really is worth the effort.

Related Articles

  Workplace Relationships - What Does Responsibility Mean?
  Starting Small In Taking Responsibility To Build Relationships
  Mentoring in the Workplace Plays a Vital Role in Corporate Training
  Effective Business Relationships - Just How Valuable Are They?
  5 Unique Ways to Stop Workplace Drama (Tip #19)
  Resolving Needs - What Your Employees Wish For!
  Nonverbal Communication in the Workplace: Why it is Important to Understand (Tip #23)
  Building Workplace Relationships By Overcoming Prejudices
  Workplace Collaborations - Where One Plus One Is Not Two
  Building Workplace Relationships Generates Unexpected Positives
  Effective Business Relationships - What Are They?
  Workplace Drama (Tip #57)
  Workplace Motivation: Traits of an Excellent Boss (Tip #67)
  5 Reasons You are a Difficult Boss (Tip #64)
  “Symptoms That Confirm Your Decision To Look For A New Job, From Your Strategic Thinking Business Coach”
  Stop Workplace Drama: How You Can Help Your Team Become Successful (Tip #20)
  Stop Workplace Drama: Tips for Dealing with Conflict (Tip #36)
  Management Development Secrets - Learning Beyond The Workplace
  Track, Track, Track
  Nonverbal Communication in the Workplace: How You Can Improve (Tip #41)

Related Forum Posts

No B.S. Time Management
Re: What I Enjoyed Reading This Week - June 4
Which kind of industries are you interested in?
HRPreneur
Books for Women Entrepreneurs

Share this article. Fund someone's dream.

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

How to Steal Your Competitor's Business

How to Improve Your Time Management

The 13 Most Powerful Words in Marketing

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.