Business Rocks: The Life and Death of Relationships

This week’s riff: An international research project has found that having the same family GP cuts the risk of early death by up to 50%. The study suggests that a strong relationship with your family doctor means that you are more open to sharing your issues and concerns and also more likely to follow their advice.

Although the outcomes are not quite so stark, the same principles apply to business. Hierarchy, on its own, only leads to compliance, not commitment. It’s the strength of your web of relationships with other managers, teams and stakeholders that really determines the success of your big projects.

All projects run into issues and problems. Where the relationships are weak, barriers can quickly halt the initiative dead in its tracks. Stronger relationships, however, allow you to work through the issues together, helping you to keep the project on course and accelerating its success.

How much time and effort are you putting into building strong, effective relationships with your colleagues and peers across your business? You may find that, as with patients’ relationships with their GP, it can be a matter of life and death for your most important initiatives.