It is your relationships that strengthen your organization

How can we contribute to the organization as employees outside of our functional roles?

That was the question that my son and a couple of his friends, all millennials, asked me during a recent coffee-chat. It got me thinking on how, in organizations, we measure success through differing metrics depending on the nature of business and industry.

One common thread is that employees make all the difference between success and failure based on the extent of their engagement and involvement with the organizational goals.

Whilst employee engagement is the responsibility of organizational leaders, employees too, have an individual responsibility. That responsibility lies in developing healthy relationships with their co-workers.

Whilst an organization may have product or service advantages, innovative patents and technology in use, at the end of the day the strength of any organization is in the relationship its employees have within themselves.

It’s the people that make all the difference.

Developing strong and rewarding inter-personal relationships come about from the way we are socially conditioned to make friends, network and influence, communicate and give value to each other. This is where communities and groups emerge from.

As an employee how do you go about creating beneficial relationships?

1. Interact: Use the official events, such as team building sessions, training, sports, employee parties and community services, to reach out and connect with co-workers from other divisions. In large organisations one of the key issues is that people don’t know who does what in which divisions. So provide your fellow colleagues a-face- to- a- function so that they know they can reach you when they have the need.
2. Volunteer: Step up and volunteer for projects that are not in your functional area. These project teams, usually, are set up to deliver key goals for the organization and is a great way to:

     i.    Get yourself to interact with the organizational leaders and show                          additional initiative that goes into your annual performance

ii.      Helps you identify possible mentors and work functions that you may want to move into in order to grow within the organization.

3. Talk: In any group meetings there are always issues being discussed. Put aside your fears of looking stupid, in front of your bosses and peers, and speak up. Make sure you understand the context of the issue at hand and then put forth your suggestion.

On a personal level, when you see a fellow colleague from a different unit at any time of the work day, stop for moment and ask how he or she is and how their families are.  Share a minute or two connecting on common personal areas.  Be careful when you do this. Do it meaningfully and not in passing.

4. Help: If another colleague, either from your own unit or otherwise requests for information or assistance, help them. Not only would you be earning respect and gratitude of your colleague but you’ll be communicating to the leaders that the interest of the organization is what matters to you.

I’d be happy to know your views and ways in which you have nurtured  internal relationships to benefit your organization.

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Joy Abdullah is a strategy and brand marketing professional with substantial experience in designing brand experience, leading and implementing a broad range of corporate growth and realignment initiatives, across industries in Asia.
He writes on leadership & culture, ethical brand marketing, strategic brand management, employee-brand relationship and sustainable business strategies. Click here for his articles.  Connect with Joy on:1. Linked In 2. Twitter @JoyAbdullah.

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