Creating A Culture Of Winning Relationships

The way you talk to others and about them will determine the quality of relationship you have with them.

Communicating from a place of togetherness creates teamwork. You have to put completing ahead of competing. The moment you start to compete with your peers is the moment you’ll begin to lose all influence with them. People need to feel that you are for them, not against them. Communicating the value of what they do, conveys the value of who they are. The more value you place on them, the more value they’ll place on you. Always let the best idea win and give them credit for it. Make sure you publicly praise your peers among each other. Those who have the greatest influence are the ones who genuinely lift people up in front of others.

Be slow to accept all the praise but quick to give it all away.

I had the chance to sit in on a company-wide meeting for a very prominent organization not long ago, and what I witnessed was breathtaking. To start the meeting off, the senior leader opened up with what he called “winning moments.” This was the way they kicked off every meeting. Then, one by one, people stood up, pointed out someone else in the room, and then gave them a shout-out for how their performance the week before made a huge difference in the organization.

One guy said, “I just want to thank Jim for jumping in last minute to help us set up for a meeting we were running behind on. Jim, I know you were busy, but your effort made the meeting successful. Thank you for all your help!” Everyone then clapped and thanked Jim for his effort. This went on and on for about 20 minutes, with everyone sharing big and little things people did that contributed to a great work environment. This organization was glowing with so much energy and excitement that I thought about putting in my resume.

After the “winning moments” time, the senior leader went on to talk about new initiatives that were coming down the pipe. His team welcomed what he shared with open arms and great anticipation. They truly used words to create a phenomenal environment that you couldn’t help but be energized by. That senior leader could have easily dismissed the “winning moments” time and jumped right into his agenda, but he would have missed the chance to increase the peer-to-peer engagement of his team.