How effective are you at working with and supporting others? Whether the interaction is with your manager, customer, direct reports, or coworkers, there’s a need and a benefit to influence and nurture relationships.
An effective leader is proficient in managing and strengthening relationships and understands the need to build networks. They also possess the ability to find common ground and build rapport to drive results and improve satisfaction levels.
Leadership: It’s not something you do to people, it’s something you do with people.
–Patricia Zigarmi and Drea Zigarmi
Over 300 managers and executives across the globe were asked if the definition of leadership had changed in the past five years. 84 percent responded yes, and attributed it to having more complex challenges resulting in hardships for their organizations.
Despite the challenges, there was a side benefit: greater collaboration, improved work processes, and expanded work boundaries. Yet an interesting point is that only 47 percent of managers queried believed that collaboration was a skill leaders in their organization demonstrated.
How could this be? Consider the nature and speed of work that is now required by most professions. How many allow time to develop relationships, or invest in the time and expense to develop the necessary skills?
The role of a leader is evolving. There are more female leaders in the workplace, and women in general are found to be more collaborative than their male counterparts. And it’s said that innovation is sparked by collaborative efforts, which are key for remaining competitive (and staying in business!).
Leaders need to listen to, observe, and understand what motivates those they interact with. They need to understand intent, be knowledgeable of skill-sets, and have a foundation of trust to maintain strong relationships.
The number one failure to succeed has been attributed to the inability to build a strong team (or relationship), followed by the leader not being a good fit with the work culture.
In order to succeed you must first have clear and shared goals and objectives. There cannot be conflicting agendas, and the “right” person needs to be assigned to the “right” role.
There has to be a “want” to create an environment where teamwork and collaboration are not only encouraged, but allowed to support goals utilizing the skills and expertise of all team members.
People want to be appreciated, listened to, and have a sense you care about them (not about only obtaining results).
Don’t ignore building and sustaining strong and lasting relationships!
They may forget what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel.
–Carl W. Buechner
QwikTip and QwikCoach
PeopleTek’s Strategic partner, E-Coach, specializes in online coaching tools.
QwikTip for Using a Cooperative Approach
And for those with a QwikCoach license, refresh your existing skills and acquire new skills by visiting the QwikTips library for leadership ideas and techniques.
If you don’t have QwikCoach, it’s an excellent resource for growing your leadership skills remotely that you should consider.
Help turn your leadership knowledge into leadership action!
Did You Know?
Graduates of PeopleTek’s Leadership Journey Earn:
- IT Professionals: 19 priSM CPD credits
- Human Resource SPHR/PHR/GPHR: 19 HR (General) credit hours
- Project Managers: PMI – up to 37 hours / 3 PSM level points
- Executive Coaches: 18 ICF CCE’s (Core Competencies) & 5 ICF CCE’s (Resource Development)