Investing in the relationship.

Working with others is a component that is escapable and is a critical factor in the level of success achieved. Our ability to build relationships and connection with the people we work with and are led by is of utmost importance. Building and connecting comes back to the chemistry within the relationship and that chemistry is needed to ensure success for the outcomes needed.

When we work in partnership with others, chemistry is needed. Partnerships can be efficient and can perform without chemistry. But rarely will they excel. Rarely will they reach the heights they can. When excellent is the goal, connection is paramount.

I liken it to aligning yourself with the heartbeat of the leader. Being in-tune and in-step with what they want to achieve. It’s about being proactive in approach and being able to forecast demands, sidestep distractions and operate with synergy The following seven steps will help you to align with the heartbeat of the leader and allow the executive relationship to flourish and prosper.

• Listen for the heartbeat of the leader. We all have our major reason for being. Whether it is our purpose in life, a cause that motivates, a dream to fulfil, our major reason for being is one of our chief motivators. Do you know what makes your leader tick? Do you listen for the heartbeat?
  
  What makes your executive excel at what they do? What makes them laugh? What makes them sad? What makes them soar? When you can align yourself to the heartbeat of the leader, it helps build a sustainable and successful relationship.

• Breathe the strategy. Understanding the strategy and the priorities within the strategy from your executive’s view, will help you deflect distractions and reinforce those tasks that enable their effectiveness and productivity.

• Reflect the energy and the enthusiasm of the leader. Working with others who reflect and mirror your energy and enthusiasm for the project usually enables greater satisfaction in the work team. Additionally, so when you work in close partnership with an executive. Ask yourself, do you add energy into the relationship, or do you drain it? If you are mirroring the enthusiasm that’s awesome, but if you are a drain, the relationship won’t last. Fix it.

• Aligning with the vision of the leader. The executive you work with will undoubtedly have a vision for who they are and the standards of the work they deliver. They understand their role they play in the success of the organisation and importantly, who they need alongside them to perform at their best. Align to their vision, support the standards and know the key players, to be successful in the role you play.

• Build Trust. Earning trust is critical for every organisational relationship. Trust can be hard earned, but there are ways to build trust quickly. The three aspects that Stephen Covey talks about trust being built around credibility, which in turn is built from character and competence. Having a strong character built around your integrity and be exceptional good at what you do, will enable you to build trust in the relationship.

• Respect family. Our executive relies on our relationship to help them stay focused, stay productive, meet deadlines and overall effectiveness. Inside work, our relationship is focussed on success and performance, and to perform successfully at work, happiness outside of the business is required. Respect and honour family and times spent outside of the business.

• Compliment weaknesses. As humans we all have our weaknesses and as a partner in a executive relationship our role should be to compliment the weaker areas of the other partner. The executive needs these complimentary skills to ensure that they are covering all aspects of their role. Our first stage is to be aware of the weaker areas

Our success in our role is determined by the relationships we build within the executive environment. By investing time, effort and energy and aligning yourself to the heartbeat of the leader, you will increase that success. You will find greater productivity, greater effectiveness, greater accountability and performance. Invest in the relationship to see the relationship soar.

Tony Curl

Tony Curl has always been a communicator. A leader of large teams of up to 300 team members, he had to be clear, concise and consistent with his message to achieve success. His messages motivated his teams to reach out and achieve results over and above, and supported the journey of those yearning to be leaders. He now speaks widely at multiple levels. He is an accomplished keynote speaker and has a knack of closing out conferences and seminars to leave people energised for the journey ahead. He also shares his wisdom to the youth and small business start-ups. His communication now extends to writing, releasing his first book, “Seriously Simple Stuff to Get You Unstuck”. He is the President of A Better Today Australia, a writing community designed to showcase aspiring Australian writers and empower their readers. His work has also been published at Simple Reminders Network, Leadership Inspirational, Realizing Leadership, Ezine, A Better Today Media and A Better Today Australia. He can be contacted from his website www.coachcurl.com