Build Strong Workplace Relationships: The Key to Team Success and Business Growth

Relationships Are How Work Works

Relationships are how work works—and positive relationships are how good companies and great people get things done. Importantly, relationships are always interpersonal: we don’t build them with teams, we build them with individuals.

Relationship “power”—the ability to get things done through others—is the most effective form of power in the workplace. And it’s not hard to build professional relationships. You just need to see people, spend time with them, listen, and recognise that they are more than their work.

Why Relationships Matter

With strong professional relationships, we can ask for help, be vulnerable, garner support, give support, have tough conversations, move people into action, challenge others, and, from a leadership perspective, unleash everyone’s true potential.

When we truly know someone, we can help them achieve their goals while helping the business succeed. We understand how far we can push each other, how to navigate disagreements, and how to collaborate effectively—laying the groundwork for psychological safety.

Spending time with people builds trust. Yet in many organisations, trust is low, psychological safety is low, and support can be minimal. It doesn’t have to be that way. Relationships are built by investing time.

How to Build Professional Relationships

See people.
You can’t build a relationship with someone you never interact with. Make time to connect.

👉 See this post on seeing people to build relationships

Listen.
Active listening is the greatest compliment you can give. It’s the only way to truly understand someone.

"Listening involves patience, openness, and the desire to understand—highly developed qualities of character." – Stephen R. Covey

👉 See this post on Active Listening being the greatest compliment

Appreciate that people are more than their work.
1:2:1 meetings aren’t just HR checkboxes — they’re an opportunity to understand the whole person. Don’t focus solely on skills and performance. Explore two key areas:

• Life goals and ambitions: What do they want from life? Can work help them get there?
• Life skills: What talents or passions do they have outside work? Would they like to integrate these into their job?

For example, I once managed a coach who was also a talented graphic designer. He never shared this with anyone, but after building a relationship with him, he revealed his goal of working in graphic design full-time. By giving him opportunities to contribute creatively at work, he learned new skills, felt fulfilled, and the business benefited too.

The Power of Knowing Your People

Work isn’t just about keeping the business alive — it’s about creating a company that enriches the lives of those in it. Helping people feel valued, utilise their abilities, and thrive in a trusting environment starts with relationships.

Even when people leave, the relationships you build remain valuable. Networks aren’t abstract — they’re built on real human connections, effort, and time.

Relationships require intentional effort. They’re not formed through transactional conversations or emails — they’re built through time, listening, and understanding.

1:2:1s: A Simple, Effective Tool

If you want to understand your team’s ambitions, skills, and needs, 1:2:1s are invaluable. When done well, these meetings reveal the richness of your team: their talents, quirks, dreams, and aspirations. The best managers know their people and help them achieve personal and professional goals while driving business success.

Employees who cultivate strong relationships do the same. They gain support, influence, opportunities, and the ability to move teams and projects forward.

Bottom line:

Relationships are how work gets done. They require time, attention, and care. Invest in them. Listen. Appreciate people as whole humans. Build trust. Help others grow.

Do this consistently, and you’ll see your team, your business, and your career flourish.