Why Relationships at Work Matter More than You Might Think Second Crack — The Leadership Podcast

Trust-based relationships at work are the foundation for healthy performance.
We are social beings. However, what is often described as social or psychological is actually biological. Relationships are an essential aspect of evolution: living in groups has been critical for our survival as a species.
We developed capabilities to quickly judge if we can trust others, largely without conscious awareness, sometimes described as “gut feeling” (see neuroception and interoception).
Not only our hunter-gather ancestors benefited  from productive human connections. Also in “modern” societies, our well-being depends on sound relationships. 
A Harvard study revealed that people who are more socially connected to family, friends, and others are happier and healthier. They live longer than people who are less well-connected, and loneliness leads to less happiness, earlier health decline, and decline in brain function.
Functioning relationships are also critical for motivation and performance at work:
Sirota and Klein identified camaraderie, defined as “having warm, interesting and cooperative relations with others in the workplace“, as a primary goal of people at work. 
Blickle and Hogan categorised getting along as a basic human motive: “Human beings are inherently social and at a deep and often unconscious level need companionship and social acceptance, and they dread rejection and isolation.” 
Building productive relationships is a mission-critical task for leaders.
What can leaders do to nurture productive relationships?
1) Attitude: Common how-to advice suggests that leaders should listen more and ask more questions. However, we often neglect that it is not just the “doing” but that the underlying attitude or mindset is crucial: are you really interested in what the other person has to say? 
Research suggests that our attitude towards others hugely impacts their performance  (c.f.  “Pygmalion in the Classroom"). In other words, if you believe the people you work with are heroes, they might become heroes. If you believe they are idiots…
2) Consistency: Building relationships is not a one-time activity. It's about how you show up consistently. Do you come across as authentic? Are you walking your own talk? 
3) Understanding emotions: You need to be aware of your emotions,  regulate them,  get a sense of the emotions of others (empathy), and understand how others respond to your behaviours.
Leaders need to avoid triggering a “fear response” in others, often evoked by tone of voice, facial expressions, and other non-verbal signals submitted and received non-consciously.  Instead, they need to nurture emotions such as joy, excitement, and trust.
Emotions are not just “touchy-feely stuff”; what is underlying emotions is a complex neurobiology. E-motions provide energy for action. We have explained this in detail in our Second Crack podcast episode “Emotions @Work - How Leaders Can Release Human Energy in Organizations”
Reflection Questions for Leaders
·  At work today, have I made genuine connections with people? How?
·  How do other people perceive me/my behaviours?
·  How do I think about individuals at work? Do I believe in their potential? Have I already labelled them in a certain way? Do I really believe they can become heroes?
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