Workplace Relationship Building Skills

This is so true. I was a terrible manager when first given the opportunity. Leading by example came naturally to me, but quality management is an art and science that wasn’t prepared for. Although i’m not as terrible as I was before, I’m still learning everyday and trying to share what i’ve learned with others going through the same boat. Here are a few things i’ve learnt along the way: * Promote Work-Life Balance: Encourage employees to take breaks, use their holiday entitlement, and set boundaries between work and personal life. Lead by example by respecting these boundaries yourself. * Provide Clear Expectations: Clearly communicate goals, expectations, and timelines to reduce uncertainty and stress. Ensure that each team member understands their role and how it contributes to the overall success of the team. * Offer Support and Resources: Be approachable and available to listen to your team members' concerns and provide guidance. Offer resources such as counselling services, mental health days, or flexible working arrangements to support their well-being. * Recognise and Appreciate: Regularly acknowledge and appreciate your team members' contributions and achievements. This can be done publicly or privately, depending on the individual's preference, to boost morale and motivation. * Encourage Open Communication: Foster a culture of open communication where team members feel comfortable sharing their thoughts, concerns, and ideas without fear of judgement or reprisal. Actively listen to their feedback and address any issues promptly. * Provide Opportunities for Growth: Offer training, professional development opportunities, and career advancement paths to help employees develop their skills and reach their full potential. Recognise and celebrate their progress and achievements along the way. * Promote Collaboration and Team Bonding: Encourage collaboration, teamwork, and mutual support among team members. Organise team-building activities, social events, or volunteer opportunities to strengthen relationships and foster a sense of belonging. * Lead with Empathy and Compassion: Take the time to understand your team members' individual needs, challenges, and strengths. Show empathy and compassion in your interactions and decisions, and be flexible and accommodating when necessary. * Create a Positive Work Environment: Foster a positive and inclusive work environment where diversity is valued, and everyone feels respected, heard, and appreciated. Address any conflicts or issues promptly and promote a culture of mutual respect and support. * Monitor and Address Burnout: Keep an eye out for signs of burnout, such as decreased productivity, increased absenteeism, or changes in behaviour. Take proactive steps to address workload issues, provide additional support, or adjust expectations as needed to prevent burnout and support employee well-being. Hope these help! Your team will thank you for it ❤️ ♻️Tobi Oluwole

Being surrounded by the right people is the best hack for ultimate growth. Your circle determines your ceiling. Everything shifted when I found mentors who were 10x my level. Their "normal" became my new baseline. Their problems became my new targets. Their thinking became my new standard. Environment is stronger than willpower. Here are 6 ways to upgrade your circle today: 1. Join Communities of High-Performers Seek environments where excellence is the minimum standard, not the exception. I've found that when you're the least accomplished person in the room, your growth accelerates exponentially. High-performance communities create natural accountability that no app or system can replicate. 2. Attend Events Where Your Heroes Gather The magic rarely happens during the presentations, it's in the lobby conversations, the dinners after, the unexpected connections. I met one of my most influential mentors not during his keynote, but while waiting for coffee at an event I almost didn't attend. Proximity creates possibility. 3. Create Value Before Asking The moment you shift from "what can I get?" to "what can I give?" everything changes. I spent six months helping others in my industry before ever asking for anything in return. This approach built a reservoir of goodwill that continues to overflow years later. 4. Share Your Work Publicly Building in public isn't just about transparency, it's about signaling. When you openly share your journey, values, and systems, you naturally attract aligned people while filtering out those who don't resonate. My most valuable relationships began when someone reached out after seeing something I'd shared. 5. Be Genuinely Curious Curiosity is the hidden superpower in relationship-building. I've found that asking thoughtful questions and truly listening creates deeper connections than any amount of impressive talking. People remember the person who made them feel understood, not the one who tried to sound intelligent. 6. Invest in Relationships The relationships that transformed my business weren't built over a single coffee meeting, they developed through consistent investment over time. I block time every week specifically for relationship nurturing, treating it with the same importance as any business-critical activity. I've seen this play out over and over with founders in our community. When they upgrade their circle, their business transforms almost automatically. Your network isn't just your net worth. It's your thinking, your standards, your opportunities, your energy, and ultimately, your future. Who are you surrounding yourself with? __ Enjoy this? ♻️ Repost it to your network and follow Matt Gray for more. Want to become better at networking? Join our community of 172,000+ subscribers today: https://lnkd.in/e7xR_ZTu

After listening to over one hundred senior HR leaders in recent workshops, one message came through crystal clear: the difference between aspirational HR agendas and sustainable impact isn't just about knowing what to do, it's about having the courage to actually do it. While we've made tremendous progress identifying the critical human capability agendas of our time (talent acquisition, leadership development, organizational transformation, and HR evolution), I've observed that without personal courage, these remain wishful thinking rather than transformative reality. The HR professionals who truly create stakeholder value are those who overcome fear with confidence, challenge the status quo, and turn their values into daily behaviors. In my latest article, I explore courage not just as a timeless virtue, but as an essential HR competency for today's disruptive workplace. I break down the "why, what, and how" of courage: from understanding it as an emerging agenda, to developing the mindset, to mastering seven specific skills that help navigate the paradoxes every HR leader faces. The seven skills particularly fascinate me because they're about learning when to take informed risks versus practicing restraint, when to challenge versus confirm, and when to be vulnerable versus confident. These aren't contradictions. They're the nuanced judgments that separate good HR professionals from great ones. I'm curious about your experience: What role has courage played in your most significant HR wins? When have you seen the absence of courage limit an organization's human capability potential? And which of the courage paradoxes do you find most challenging to navigate in your current role?

One of the most important skills that one needs as a founder, and surprisingly, no one talks about it enough, is emotional intelligence (EQ). While we focus on growing our business, we neglect the very thing that can make or break our success: our ability to understand and manage emotions, both our own and those of others. It allows you to: - Create a positive company culture - Communicate effectively - Lead with empathy and - Navigate conflicts Here are 5 ways that helped me improve my EQ: 1. I pay attention to my emotions and how they affect my behavior and decisions. Regularly check in with yourself and be honest about your strengths and weaknesses. 2. In conversations, I try to focus on understanding others rather than just waiting to speak. The key is to listen for the underlying nonverbal cues, not just the words one says. 3. When faced with conflicts or challenging situations, I step back before reacting. This way, I can respond constructively and not impulsively to resolve the challenge. 4. This one takes time. Put yourself in others' shoes and try to understand their POV and feelings. It builds trust, strengthens relationships, and helps you lead with compassion. 5. Start seeing critics as opportunities for growth and not personal attacks. Seek out feedback from your team, mentors, and friends to improve yourself. Building your EQ is the best thing you can do for yourself, your team, and your business in the long run. #leadership #emotionalintelligence #mindset #growth

I’m tired of connecting with someone on LinkedIn only to get pitched their product or software within five minutes. Yes, sales matter. But relationships matter more. When the first message is a pitch, it tells me you’re chasing transactions, not building trust. It skips the part where we actually get to know each other. Where we learn if there’s alignment. Where we find out if what you’re offering even solves a real problem. The best partnerships I’ve been part of didn’t start with a cold pitch. They started with a conversation. Ask a question. Learn what matters to me or my team. Offer something helpful before asking for time. It’s not about playing games. It’s about respecting people and earning the right to share what you do. Sales will always be part of business. But if you’re not building relationships, you’re building a house on sand. #SalesWithIntegrity #RelationshipsFirst #LinkedInCommunity #TrustMatters #BusinessDoneRight #CustomerExperience #ListenBeforeYouPitch

𝐒𝐢𝐱 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬. 𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐞. 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐞𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐛𝐲 𝐚𝐠𝐞—𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐛𝐲 𝐩𝐮𝐫𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞. I believed leadership meant setting direction and ensuring alignment. But over time—I’ve come to see that real leadership isn’t just about strategy. It’s about 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯. That truth has never been more relevant than it is today. For the first time in modern history, 𝐬𝐢𝐱 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐞𝐱𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐞. It’s a leadership challenge few of us were trained for. 🔹 𝐒𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 (pre-1946): Still serving on boards; shaped by duty and discipline. 🔹 𝐁𝐚𝐛𝐲 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐬 (1946–1964): ~12% of today’s workforce; value stability, loyalty, and legacy. 🔹 𝐆𝐞𝐧 𝐗 (1965–1980): ~27%; independent, pragmatic, delivery-focused. 🔹 𝐌𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐬 (1981–1996): ~34%; purpose-driven, collaborative, growth-oriented. 🔹 𝐆𝐞𝐧 𝐙 (1997–2012): ~27%; inclusive, tech-native, values transparency. 🔹 𝐆𝐞𝐧 𝐀𝐥𝐩𝐡𝐚 (post-2012): The emerging workforce—digital-first, fast-learning, entrepreneurial. These differences show up in how we work: → Senior leaders value hierarchy; Gen Z favors flat structures. → Boomers seek recognition; Gen X wants autonomy; Millennials want meaning; Gen Z asks, “𝘞𝘩𝘺?” → Gen Alpha? They're learning, building, and questioning earlier than ever. What feels like friction is often just generational dissonance. In a recent HBR piece, put it well: “𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯’𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘢 𝘮𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘪𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘤𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮.” That’s the shift we need as leaders: From uniformity → to personalization From authority → to empathy From legacy leadership → to 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 leadership I now ask myself not just, “Am I leading well?” but “Am I leading 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘺?” Because when we adapt our style—not our standards—we help every generation contribute at their best. Great leadership today means adapting with intention and embracing what makes each generation thrive. 𝐏𝐮𝐫𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐀𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭: Connecting individual roles to a broader organizational mission fosters engagement across all generations. 𝐂𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐳𝐞𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: Recognize and adapt to the preferred communication styles of each generation to enhance collaboration. 𝐅𝐥𝐞𝐱𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐀𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬: Offering flexibility can address the diverse needs and expectations of a multigenerational team. 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐎𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬: Promote a culture of lifelong learning to support professional development for all age groups. What shift have you made to better lead across generations? #HarveysLeadershipRhythms #ThoughtsWithHarvey #ExecutiveLeadership #TheLeadershipSignal #GenerationalLeadership #LeadershipReflections #LeadWithIntention #MultigenerationalWorkforce #LeadershipCue #Mentorship

The Power of Appreciation: A Reflection of Company Culture 💡 "I felt like toilet paper, used when needed, then discarded without a second thought." These haunting words from a departing candidate reveal a painful truth about workplace culture. When employees leave feeling undervalued and unappreciated, it's a reflection of the company's values and priorities. On the other hand, when employees feel genuinely valued, they leave with gratitude, not resentment 🙏. Appreciation isn't just a retention tool; it's a fundamental aspect of human connection. It's about recognizing people not just for what they do, but for who they are. Key Takeaways: ✨ Recognize employees for who they are, not just what they do ✨ Regularly acknowledge and thank team members ✨ Celebrate milestones and achievements ✨ Show genuine interest in employee well-being and growth The Impact of Appreciation 💯 Makes employees feel valued and respected 🚀 Boosts morale and productivity 🌈 Fosters a positive and supportive work culture Start Today 👉 Make appreciation a priority in your organization 👉 Encourage a culture of gratitude and recognition 👉 Empower your team to thrive and grow By prioritizing appreciation, you can create a work environment where people feel valued, respected, and empowered to thrive 💪.

If your one-on-ones are primarily status updates, you're missing a massive opportunity to build trust, develop talent, and drive real results. After working with countless leadership teams across industries, I've found that the most effective managers approach 1:1s with a fundamentally different mindset... They see these meetings as investments in people, not project tracking sessions. Great 1:1s focus on these three elements: 1. Support: Create space for authentic conversations about challenges, both professional and personal. When people feel safe discussing real obstacles, you can actually help remove them. Questions to try: "What's currently making your job harder than it needs to be?" "Where could you use more support from me?" 2. Growth: Use 1:1s to understand aspirations and build development paths. People who see a future with your team invest more deeply in the present. Questions to explore: "What skills would you like to develop in the next six months?" "What parts of your role energize you most?" 3. Alignment: Help team members connect their daily work to larger purpose and meaning. People work harder when they understand the "why" behind tasks. Questions that create alignment: "How clear is the connection between your work and our team's priorities?" "What part of our mission resonates most with you personally?" By focusing less on immediate work outputs and more on the human doing the work, you'll actually see better performance, retention, and results. Check out my newsletter for more insights here: https://lnkd.in/ei_uQjju #executiverecruiter #eliterecruiter #jobmarket2025 #profoliosai #resume #jobstrategy #leadershipdevelopment #teammanagement

Atlassian has been fully distributed for almost five years. We don’t have all the answers, but we’ve learned a lot about how to keep teams thriving across time zones—and we’re applying those insights every day.  ➡️ Asynchronous work: Async tools are at the core of how we operate. Confluence is our virtual hub where we share stories, celebrate new hires, and collaborate effortlessly. We also use Loom to share videos and give feedback on our own time—avoiding those dreaded “this could have been an email” moments. In fact, we’ve saved nearly half a million meetings using Loom! ➡️ Designing workdays: We’ve learned to structure workdays for focus, collaboration, and meetings (only when absolutely necessary). Teams work across no more than two time zones, ensuring at least four hours of overlap to get things done together. ➡️ Intentional connection: Data shows that real connection happens when teams meet regularly—not sporadically in an office. We provide Intentional Togetherness Gatherings (ITGs), curated experiences, and focused in-person time to collaborate. ➡️ Adapting for different needs: It’s not one-size-fits-all. For example, new hires and grads often benefit from more frequent in-person meetups, so we make sure to offer opportunities for them to connect early on. https://lnkd.in/g2sSbe3v

My mentee was the first one in the office and the last to leave. Weekends? He was there. Holidays? Available on Slack. Family dinner? Cut short for "urgent" emails that could have waited until Monday. His manager praised him as "dedicated." HR highlighted him as "committed." Yet when promotion time came, he was passed over for someone who left at 5 PM every day but consistently delivered innovative solutions that moved the business forward. "I don't understand," he told me. "I've sacrificed everything for this company." That was the problem. He'd confused sacrifice with value. Through our coaching, we uncovered the toxic loyalty test that plagues so many organizations: 1.Presence gets mistaken for productivity 2.Availability becomes confused with accountability 3.Working harder gets valued over working smarter 4.Saying "yes" to everything is seen as more loyal than saying "no" to protect quality 5. Burnout gets celebrated as dedication instead of recognized as unsustainable Real loyalty isn't about martyrdom. It's about: ▪️ Delivering exceptional results within reasonable timeframes ▪️ Speaking truth to power when the organization is heading in the wrong direction ▪️ Building systems that work without your constant intervention ▪️ Developing others so the team succeeds beyond your individual contribution ▪️ Protecting the company's long-term interests, even when it means challenging short-term demands After six months of redefining his approach, my mentee transformed his relationship with work. He started declining non-essential weekend requests. He began delegating effectively. He focused on outcomes over optics. The result? His productivity soared. His team's morale improved. And when the next promotion opportunity arose, his track record of smart, sustainable results spoke louder than anyone's overtime hours. The most loyal thing you can do for an organization is preserve your ability to serve it excellently for years to come, not burn yourself out proving your devotion. Have you ever confused overwork with loyalty? What made you realize that sustainable excellence beats unsustainable sacrifice? #WorkLifeBalance #ProfessionalBoundaries #Leadership #CareerDevelopment