How Managers Can Build a Positive Relationship With Their Employees

A positive workplace environment starts with leadership. Whether you have a team of five or 500, the relationship you have with your employees will determine the success of your company. A positive relationship doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll always see eye-to-eye or even like each other all the time, but there will be respect and a long-term feeling of well-being. Try some of these tips to create the kind of encouraging relationship you want to have:

·         Introduce yourself to your team, not your title. Let them know you are a person first, then their manager.

·         Keep an open door. Whether it is an email, phone call, or in-person meeting, your team should feel that you are available to them.

·         Find out what’s important to your people. From how they prefer to be recognized to how they want to communicate and everything in between, their opinions and ideas matter.

·         Own your mistakes. This not only makes your team respect you, even more, but it also helps them own up when they make a mistake.

·         Lead by example. Do what you say you’re going to do and follow up with your intentions.

·         Publicly praise when you can.

·         Avoid micromanaging whenever you can. Let your team take the lead and showcase their knowledge.

·         Be transparent when it comes to the state of the team, the state of the company, and even future projects.

·         Teach them how to collaborate. This is basically leadership from all sides, allowing everyone to shine at their strengths when the time comes.

·         Offer action items when you offer critiques or negative remarks.

·         Show them the real you. Don’t be afraid to joke, be creative and even show your caring side to the team. Small bursts of the “real you” will go far towards the positive vibe.

Leaders sometimes feel the line between professional and personal to be fuzzy, but if you keep the relationship based more on enforcing the good you see in your team at work, you’ll start to see the lines more clearly defined. You want to care about their personal lives but remember they will share what they want when they want. As their manager, your goal needs to be focused on a positive workplace where they can perform and feel appreciated for their daily work. To learn more about how to build a positive relationship with your employees, contact WSi Healthcare Personnel today.