Category Archives: Build Positive Work Relationships

Client Gina Asks:

As a leader, I want to have a stronger impact on team morale. Some leaders seem to always have the right words to make people feel supported and energized. Can you give me some tips on what to say to keep my team inspired?

Coach Joel Answers:

Great leaders make sure to use team building phrases each day. To become a better leader, use them not only with the people you supervise, but also with other colleagues. These phrases, when used by leaders in any field, will build strong working relationships that bolster the effectiveness of the whole team. Use them, and others will also perceive you as a stronger leader—someone who empowers others and values their contributions.

“What can we achieve?”

Asking this question will help team members develop a common vision for a project. To ensure the best chance of … Continue reading Six Team Building Phrases Used by Great Leaders →

Mei had just scheduled a one-on-one meeting with an upper-level executive in her company. She didn’t get much face time with high-level executives, so when communicating with them, she knew she had to make it count. She understood that talking with senior executives was a great strategy for boosting her visibility at work. She immediately called her mentor and asked for advice. Her mentor walked her through these six essential strategies for making the most of the meeting.

Get to the point.

Make your point clear at the start, rather than slowly meandering toward it. By letting the exec know exactly why you’re sitting down together, you’ll make the most of her time. Don’t be long-winded—keep your words short and sweet. Mentally rehearse what you’ll say beforehand, and write notes if that helps you, to keep yourself on point as you present your ideas. Presenting your ideas eloquently, … Continue reading Six Smart Strategies for Communicating with High Level Executives →

David had realized that departments in his company functioned as silos. Information was getting trapped rather than shared; the way communication was supposed to flow was unclear. Building relationships across departments would be a great way to expand his influence, his mentor told him. “Influence isn’t just about leveraging authority,” she said. “It’s about building relationships that make people want to listen to your ideas, and not just with people in your department. This means building cross-functional relationships with people working throughout the organization, in a range of departments and levels of hierarchy. You might not work with them closely, but you all depend on each other.”

Understand what they do.

Learn about the functions of other areas of your organization, and why they’re important. Have one-on-one conversations with key players in other organizational areas to ask them about what they do. Then, help them understand your own … Continue reading The 5 Most Effective Tactics for Building Cross Functional Teams →

Tamara felt her department was too isolated from the rest of the organization. As she stepped into a higher-level managerial position, she talked with her mentor about how to change this situation. Her mentor advised her to develop a cross-functional team of people who worked together in close communication.

A cross-functional workforce is composed of people from a variety of departments and levels of hierarchy. If, like Tamara, you manage people from an array of departments—or if you aspire to step into such a position—start leveraging a cross-functional workforce to increase your team’s effectiveness.

Understand the big picture.

Building a strong cross-functional network will help you better understand how your organization functions. You’ll learn how to improve workflow processes because you’ll know exactly what should happen during every step. That knowledge will make you a better project manager. Others will come to see you as a go-to person … Continue reading Four Advantages of Leveraging a Cross Functional Team →

Jackie had just accepted a promotion and was working to develop a grasp of whom she needed to influence in her organization. She knew that influencing stakeholders, both internal and external, is critical to any leader’s success, and that building strong working relationships strengthens influence. Her mentor helped her to map out the key people she needed to influence at this stage in her career, and this is what they came up with.

Executives

Influencing executives helps a leader to build broad support for her projects and ideas and to gain financial backing when necessary. When a leader sells her ideas to executives, they in turn influence shareholders and directors, as they typically have closer contact with them. Therefore, by influencing an executive, a leader influences others who are high on the organizational hierarchy. Plus, these executives often have direct influence over promotions, so gaining influence with them … Continue reading Six Types of Stakeholders Leaders Need to Influence →

A lot of misunderstandings and hurt feelings are cropping up in my organization. Crucial information often doesn’t get shared; people often feel their voices aren’t heard. As an aspiring leader, I know I need to find ways to fix the situation. What should I do?

Coach Joel answers: Ethan, these issues all come down to improving your communication skills. Taking initiative to address them is one of the most important things you can do to prove your leadership abilities. Building your influence and leading your organization to success means improving your organizational culture by overcoming these hurdles.

Communication channels are undefined.

When it’s not clear whom people should talk to about particular types of issues, communication is likely to break down. Your workplace needs to have well-defined channels of communication for handling projects, and managers need to set the tone for communicating well. Each … Continue reading 5 Communication Challenges for Effective Leadership Influence →

Liam didn’t drink, so when his coworkers went to the bar after work, he’d say goodbye and head home. Sure, he was missing out on the chance to socialize, but it wasn’t really his scene. Then his sister shared some interesting statistics about the effectiveness of networking after work.

Over the past couple of decades, many studies have shown a relationship between social drinking, socializing, and higher wages, she told him. Moderate social drinkers earn 10% more than those who abstain, a study from the University of Calgary found. Another study in the Journal of Labor Research found that the average male employee who drinks socially earns 19% more than those who abstain, and the average female employee who drinks socially earns 23% more than abstainers. Male employees who go to bars at least once a month earn an extra 7% on top of that.

It’s not about the alcohol … Continue reading Why and How You Should Network After Work →

Getting to know the key executives in your company will propel your career forward. Those influential leaders need to know who you are, what you do, and the value you bring. When they understand how much you contribute and truly like and believe in you, they will want to see you succeed. Thus, focus on working to build strong relationships with the people who hold the most influence over your career.

Many employees don’t work to grow these relationships. You may notice many of your coworkers keeping to themselves rather than reaching out to organizational leaders when the opportunity presents. When they run into an executive in the hallway, they avert their eyes. If they see them in the elevator, they nod a greeting and then look at their phone rather than striking up a conversation.

Why is that? My clients have shared these reasons for not building relationships with … Continue reading How to Build Strong Working Relationships with Executives at Work →

Office politics can be either a positive or negative influence on your career. If you aren’t successful in dealing with it, you can lose your job, get demoted or be alienated from key projects or people. If you are successful in dealing with politics, you can gain access to key influential players inside the company and even gain a promotion.

Do you want to advance in your company, create more success, increase your responsibility and work on high profile projects? Do you want to be top of mind when company executives create their succession plan? Then you must learn how to win at office politics that exist in your company and group.

Here are 5 ways to win at office politics and put the power of politics to work for you Be liked.

If you look around at the people who play the political game the best (the ones … Continue reading How to Win at Office Politics →

“I was lucky to be assigned to Joel as my executive coach for the UC Berkeley Executive Leadership Program. What makes Joel an outstanding coach is his ability to get you to really think about your goals, identify what you need to change and execute on those goals.”

Priya Swamy, Vice-President, NBC UNIVERSAL

Why Relationships in the Workplace Matter

Building positive workplace relationships is vital for career success. Relationships can positively or negatively affect your satisfaction with the job, as well as your ability to advance and gain recognition for your achievements. When you build positive relationships, you feel more comfortable with your interactions and less intimidated by others. You feel a closer bond with the people you spend the majority of your time working with, and you grow your influence in your organization.

However, for a lot of people, relationship building doesn’t come naturally. Most … Continue reading Building Positive Relationships at Work →