The Gift You Might Just Overlook in the Workplace
The question in the Q&A box carried frustration and weariness:
“What can I do about the need to constantly translate fearful messages from leaders into more loving and human language? It’s exhausting.”
Zoom webinar Q&As can be tricky when you can’t talk with the person directly, but I jumped in. I encouraged them to build a support system to counterbalance the emotional labor, use available stress reduction tools, and work upstream with the leader to help them use better language in the first place.
Then Eli, the moderator and an OCM practitioner, named the heart of the matter:
Build a relationship with the leader so those coaching conversations are natural, trusting, and welcome.
Eli was right. Relationships are the heart of the matter in OCM work. In fact, relationships are often at the heart of most matters.
All week, I saw this truth:
A leadership team making a hard, unpopular decision worked to receive feedback without defensiveness because they value relationships with those impacted.
A leader in conflict with a colleague earlier in the year chose to repair the relationship to move forward in unity and care.
A leader with a packed schedule shifted priorities to meet a colleague’s needs, honoring their relationship.
Another leader delivered feedback in a way that both supported and challenged a colleague, which was possible only because of their strong relationship.
These examples show the organizational wisdom of healthy relationships. Without them, we may not know or care enough to act in each other’s best interest. Trust collapses, blame rises, and teamwork grinds to a halt.
Beyond organizational logic though, is something deeper: the joy and meaning of a life rich with human connection. We join teams for a season, and during that time, life happens for everyone. We have the honor of accompanying each other through good times and hard times, if we let ourselves.
We can choose to build relationships, to share each other’s joys, and grieve losses together. In a time of growing isolation and division, work may be one of the few places where we are regularly with others. What a gift and a profound opportunity to connect.
Here’s to relationships, workplace relationships with our colleagues.
What relationships at work have been meaningful to you? What difference did they make?
Hit reply and share, won’t you? I’d love to hear. ❤
Remember: Your instincts to be loving and human, to build caring relationships with the people around you, those instincts expressed in your unique ways are right on! And that is part of tipping the planet from fear to love by 2035!
