Help Your Team Build Stronger Relationships

People with close relationships with their colleagues are more productive, creative, and collaborative—and they’re less likely to burn out. As a leader, you can strategically engineer the conditions that allow workplace friendships to blossom—even in a remote or hybrid environment. Here’s how.

• Leverage common denominators to spark friendships. Make it easier for employees to identify commonalities as early as onboarding. When introducing new team members, don’t just focus on their work experience. Share some of their personal interests and activities, too.
• Highlight shared goals. Make sure your employees view each other as essential to each other’s success, and that their objectives align. This will help them see themselves as teammates not just colleagues.
• Turn tension into connection. Use relationship-building statements to turn tense moments into opportunities for deeper connections. These can take the form of recommitting to a shared goal (“I bet we can figure this out”), acknowledging your employees’ contributions (“You clearly put a lot of work into this”), or valuing their expertise (“I’ve always appreciated your insight into clients like this”).