This month we are switching gears in our leadership lessons to discuss relationships. We will look at how good relationships can build strong connections between a leader and his or her employees that will create a cohesive, effective team. To begin this lesson, we will look at how we see those around us and how that affects our relationships.
Have you ever known someone who you did not like, but one day something occurred and you had a change of heart about that individual? Most of us have experienced this phenomenon. It is naive to believe that that individual just suddenly changed for the better. Likely what happened is that we actually took time to get to know him and understand him on a deeper level. As humans, we have an innate distrust of the unknown. We do not like it when we have gaps in information, so our brain attempts to fill in these gaps for us. This is dangerous because we fill in information based on feelings rather than facts. It becomes harmful when we make up stories and fill in information gaps based on past experiences, prejudices, discrimination, etc. There are a lot of issues with this practice. Furthermore, how we see our employees and colleagues can be impacted by our brain filling in information gaps based on past experiences and emotions rather than facts.
As leaders, we should want to build strong working relationships with our colleagues and employees. How we see the people we work with impacts how we interact with them. If we view our employees as lazy, incompetent, greedy people, that will impact the culture of the workplace and how the team works together. In that example, you as a leader need to evaluate your employees. If you investigate the situation and those feelings about your employees are based in fact, then you should probably consider making some cuts. More than likely, when you investigate the situation, you will discover that you are viewing your employees through the wrong lens and you are missing lots of good work and behaviors.
When a leader views his or her employees as good workers who believe in the company mission, those people will feel more supported by company leadership. The leader will not be looking for reasons to distrust or discredit the employees. When a leader views employees negatively, that impacts every interaction that occurs between them. The same can be said for leaders who view employees positively. This positivity will permeate throughout the working environment. As we have mentioned before, happy employees are effective employees. Take some time to think about how you view those around you. If you realize that your perceptions of those around you are largely negative, you should do what you can to change these perceptions. This practice will help improve your relationships, both personal and work-related.
- Bria