Building Better Leadership Through Relationships: A Comprehensive Guide

Elevate your leadership game by focusing on the power of relationships.

The salesperson wanted to give a demo of their technology. I rejected the request, as I've seen a lot of software, and few are unique. He countered by explaining that he gets paid when I give him my time. While I support salespeople, I'm not keen on spending time looking at software. Most software demos are about as exciting as looking at a folder full of papers.

The software in question would document one-on-one meetings between leaders and their teams, something you could record on a Google Doc. For a long time, I have taught salespeople to sell strategic outcomes rather than their solutions, especially when the solution is something as mundane as a way to document meetings.

This scenario reminded me of when mature salespeople complained they couldn’t use their CRMs. To train them, I would ask, "What might you put in the box titled 'First Name?'" To make my point, I would ask about what might go in a box titled: "Last Name." They got the idea.

We are heading into a world in the late stages of software consumption. Soon your chicken nuggets at McDonald's will come with a side of AI. As technology dominates our thinking and business operations, leaders need to prioritize human connections.

Leadership and Relationship Dynamics

Leadership is about relationships. From the CEO to managers to supervisors and leads on the manufacturing floor, everyone has people under their charge. You should let AI and technology do what it does best while you do what humans do best. When people work together, relationships form. Some are effective, some are challenged, and others are basically nonexistent.

For many years, businesspeople have touted the importance of empathy. However, it's often challenging to recall instances of demonstrated empathy in the workplace. Empathy is typically a buzzword for businesses. Unless there's a chief empathy officer, it’s business as usual.

When sales leaders ask me how to motivate their sales force, I can infer quite a bit about the team culture, and sometimes, the sales organization. One salesperson that worked for me wasn't a very good salesperson, but she was the top sales rep. She was raising two girls by herself, striving to give them a better life. Her single strategy was presence, showing up to the same companies until they gave her orders.

Another salesperson told a room full of sales leaders that he quit his job after five years because he didn’t know his children, and that was his motivation. His leader had a relationship with the salesperson that was less than transactional.

Strategies for Enhanced Leadership Engagement

There are leaders who spend more time with other leaders than with their teams. In an era where people work from home, relationships can become more transactional. This lack of personal connection makes it difficult for leaders to capture hearts and minds, leading to a lack of concern for the company’s purpose. If one cares little about the company's purpose, it is likely due to a poor relationship with their superior.

1. Prioritize People: Leaders should put people first. If you want your team to take care of your clients or customers, you must prioritize your people. This should be your primary project. If this isn’t the case for you and your teams, you can improve outcomes more than you might imagine.
2. Embrace Humanity: Be sure to embody high standards while also being human and relatable. It will never hurt to make certain you are human. The best way to do this may be a story, as this will help you be a better leader.
3. Invest Time in Individuals: Even if it means driving into an office to meet face-to-face, the time you spend with a person on your team is valuable. Discuss their work, their family, and how you might assist them.
4. Coach Your Team: Understand the motivations of individuals on your team. Ask them about their personal and professional goals. Everyone is already motivated, even if you are unaware of their specific motivation.
5. Show Gratitude and Recognition: Acknowledging hard work goes a long way in building strong relationships.
6. Be Available: Prioritize the needs of your team members over paperwork. If someone needs your help or guidance, make yourself available.
7. Build Rapport: Spend time getting to know your team members. Discuss life, sports, the latest concert, or their vacation plans. Building a relationship with your team is never a waste of time.

Caring Is a Superpower

If you want to be a good and effective leader, caring about your people, and having others do the same will improve your relationships and your results. It is difficult for your teams to care about your clients and customers when they don’t feel that you don’t care about them. The more you prioritize people, let people see you as human, invest time with your people, coach and develop your team, dole out gratitude and recognition, make yourself available, even if only to talk about the greatest guitar lead.

In the future barreling toward us, the best we can do is to build relationships and increase the value of people in a world overrun by technology. This should a leader’s most important initiative now and in the future. Leaving this post, make a list of how you are going to build the relationships you need.

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