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The Leading Edge: What Matters
Volume 2 | Issue 3May 2011
Welcome to The Leading Edge, a bimonthly e-letter addressing some of the critical issues that matter most to leaders like you. In our last issue we focused the characteristics of effective leaders and the importance of  self-awareness.  This month we turn our attention to the work of the leader in building effective teams. In this work, relationships matter.
Relationships Matter 

 

Successful leaders work at relationships as a matter of course.   Most

leaders we know tell us that while technical skills help them get their job and establish their credibility, it is their people skills that make them successful at their current job. These skills can be measured.  Daniel Goleman researched 300 Fortune 500 companies, and found that 90% of leadership success could be credited to emotional intelligence -- especially the ability to read others and build social relationships.

 

Meet Pete

 

Pete is a brilliant engineer - just ask him!  He will tell you just how smart he is.  Although those around him appreciate his intelligence, they find it difficult to work with him.  Pete doesn't collaborate with team members to solve problems.  He continually puts down others' ideas with comments like "that's just plain stupid" or "you've got to be kidding." His surliness creates whirls of tension and inhibits the team's creative thinking.  He routinely interrupts others as they express their opinion, and rattles on with his own thoughts, oblivious to anything else going on, especially his team members' reactions.

 

Because Pete alienates himself from others, he is unable to rally support for his ideas, even if they are good ones.  No one wants to give him credit for an idea that would inflate his ego. His lack of relationship and connection with team members makes it difficult, if not impossible to get resources, support or help from others when he needs it. Even though he frequently misses important deadlines he just doesn't get it. He can't seem to make the connection between his behavior and the lack of team support.  He continues to blame others for not stepping up.

 

Pete not only lacks self-awareness but he is totally unaware of the effect of his behavior (social awareness). If only he had built relationships that matter with his team members!

Relationships and Teams 

 

Patrick Lencioni in his popular book on teams, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, discusses the importance of trust on a team and willingness to be vulnerable with team members.  Without trust, team members won't ask for help or feedback when it's most needed.  If there isn't a safe climate that ensures respect, then team members won't engage in productive conflict.  Instead, there is artificial harmony on the team and members withhold their opinions and real feelings.  In that climate, decisions are made without the full and honest exchange of ideas and opinions.  Those decisions lack the full commitment of team members.  Confusion ensues because others think there is buy in. Without commitment to decisions, it is difficult to get people to be accountable.  When no action occurs, and little accountability, there is a lowering of standards.  The team begins to accept less than desired results.  Instead of focusing and achieving organizational goals, individual team members push their own agenda forward and work on issues that are important to them.  The team and its success are sabotaged.  Good working team relationships rest on a foundation of trusting relationships.

Leadership in Action 

 

How do I get started building relationships?

1.    Look for opportunities to connect.
2.    Start one relationship at a time.
3.    Invite interaction and see what happens.

Start small.  Small talk doesn't have to be trivial. What are you currently reading of interest, or what article in the Wall Street Journal is worth sharing with a co-worker? A news item, a good movie or book can be the start of a relationship-building conversation.  Make sure you don't dominate the conversation or try to show others how smart you are. 
Relationship building is a dialogue, not a monologue.


How do I take my relationship to the next level?

Look for opportunities to strengthen and grow existing relationships.    You
can learn and garner support from friends or colleagues. When a relationship is at its best, it is reciprocal and mutually satisfying. It deepens and grows into true friendship -- one that can be counted on in times of need.   

 

Everyone needs a "go-to person" at work.  Develop your relationships and have someone who you know you can go to when you need support, advice or a sounding board.

Actively expand your current network.  Enlarging your circle of contacts increases the opportunities you have to build business, circulate a resume, and find a job for a friend.  Discover the contacts behind your contacts.  

 

Who do your friends know?  Who do they do business with?  By establishing rapport, members of your network are more likely to share contacts with you and thereby increase your potential opportunities.  

Digging Deeper: Resources

Overcoming the Five DysfunctionsOvercoming the Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Field Guide for Leaders, Managers, and Facilitators (J-B Lencioni Series) by Patrick Lencioni

Lencioni examines questions that all teams must ask themselves: Are we really a team? How are we currently performing? Are we prepared to invest

the time and energy required to be a great team? Written concisely and to the point, this guide gives leaders, line managers, and consultants alike

the tools they need to get their teams up and running quickly and effectively. 

 

 

TeambuildingTeam Building: Proven Strategies for Improving Team Performance by W. G. Dyer, Jeffrey Dyer, and Edgar Schein . This book is filled with the concepts, ideas, and practical suggestions that are needed for any manager to have at hand if he or she is a member or creator of a committee, team, task-force, or any other activity involving collaboration among several people.

 
About Leadership Development Services

We help individuals and organizations achieve excellence through leadership development. To do this, we provide customized training, facilitation, consultation, and coaching services (on-site and virtual) that improve the quality of leadership and mentoring. We partner with clients to create sustainable mentoring support structures and processes and roadmaps for creating a mentoring culture. We offer innovative and comprehensive leadership development programs to enhance individual and organizational learning and accountability. Our long-standing relationships with clients around the world are  testimony to our ability to facilitate results that matter. 

In This Issue
Relationships Matter
Relationships and Teams
Leadership In Action
Digging Deeper: Resources
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