Interacting with others can be stressful, but self-managing emotions and using emotional intelligence to navigate relationships support this process. In my book, The Power of Emotion, I discuss how important it is for you to develop effective relationships with others.
THE POWER OF EMOTION | CHAPTER 24 | RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT
The Crucial Role of Relationship Management
How important is it for you to develop strong relationships with others?
Relations with others are only as good as the effort to make them successful; therefore, developing secure relationship connections and emotional intelligence should be a priority. It includes our personal relationship skills, employee relationship management and interacting with others in the workplace.
Three Critical Emotional Intelligence Competencies for Relationship Management
The good news is we can build relationship management skills, which are necessary because they tap into the three emotional intelligence competencies:
- Self-Awareness
- Self-Management
- Social Awareness
Developing and managing relationships is a priority for high-performing teams and should focus on organizational success. However, employees must understand themselves first to strengthen relationships with others.
Anytime I offer relationship management and emotional intelligence training with teams, attendees tell me how much they would benefit from learning more about improving team dynamics and relationships.
After I share that focusing on emotional and self-awareness skills is an effective way to develop relationship management skills, we usually start there. If we don't start there initially, we end up there eventually.
Use Emotional Intelligence to Navigate Team Dynamics
Relationship management is just as crucial for team dynamics as personal relationships. Generally, we expect employees to have good relationship management skills. But that's not always the case. In this situation, the best practice is to engage in proactive relationship management strategies to help deliver operational outcomes.
You'll need to find a way to make the situation work to achieve your goals. It's about getting the job done even when those you're working with would not be your chosen work associates. You don't have to be friends with the people you work with, but having a respectful and collegial work environment is necessary.
Working effectively in a team can be challenging! Using your emotional intelligence is a superpower that impacts communication and relationship-building with other employees. In this blog, Teamwork Uncomplicated: Keys to Effective Working Relationships, you'll find numerous suggestions to work effectively with your team. That type of connection is fundamental to productive work relationships.
Want to improve your emotional intelligence instantly? Click here!
How Employees with High Emotional Intelligence Build Strong Relationships
Regulating your emotions and behaviour when participating in group discussions and decision-making is paramount. You can start this practice by carefully watching your team members' body language and taking cues from their non-verbal communication before responding.
Learn more about observing and managing the ripple effects of your emotions in this post.
You can use your social awareness skills to listen actively with full presence as the discussion unfolds. Expect bumps along the way and be prepared for the inevitable relationship conflicts that may arise between team members.
Important Strategies: Listening, Pausing, and Responding
By doing this, we gain the opportunity to take a pulse of what is happening, carefully process the information, and think before we reply to ensure our emotions are in check.
Working in a team becomes more comfortable and effective when we use our skills to build trusting relationships. By getting to know each team member–to learn their strengths and preferences–we can better relate to them. This process establishes common ground and gets the ball rolling when working together. In this blog, Tips to Manage Challenging Team Members at Work, you'll find helpful ways to work with difficult teammates.
If you're ready to dive deeper into employee relationship skills, emotional intelligence, and self-management topics, you'll find extensive insights, tips, and exercises to help you do so in my new book, The Power of Emotion. Click here to purchase your copy.
Did you learn a lot about relationship management in this post? Here are three more posts to read next:
- How Important is Emotional Intelligence to Children's Development
- What Is Great Leadership?
- How Influence Affects the Quality of Relationships
This article was originally published on October 26, 2021, and has been updated (February 2024).
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