How do you repair relationships?
You’re not always going to get things right. Recovering from mistakes at work can either strengthen or deteriorate work relationships.
In part three of our relationship-building episode series, Tonya and counselor Elizabeth Byrne discuss remedies for mending work relationships.
Key Takeaways:
- We have different needs, perspectives, and ways of relating to each other, making conflict a natural part of all relationships.
- Avoiding conflict isn’t the goal. The key is being able to acknowledge, address, and resolve conflicts when they do occur.
- A rupture in a relationship is a moment of disconnection and disruption of trust. Relationship ruptures can be temporary when they are addressed and repaired.
- Relationships suffer, and disconnection grows when there is no repair in the form of acknowledgment, apology, as needed, and an understanding of what happened and what can be different going forward.
Reflection Questions:
- Experience managing conflict in relationships. How do you typically address conflict within relationships? Whether it’s a conflict with a friend, partner, or colleague, how do you typically address conflict?
- Conflict at work. What types of conflicts repeatedly occur within your team? What do you think is the root cause of these conflicts?
- Repairing ruptures is possible. When have you seen a conflict resolved in a way that enhanced trust and brought people closer together?
Action Items:
- Get input from your team. Lead a team discussion to identify how conflicts are addressed as well as any changes to consider to repair and recover from conflict.
- Create opportunities for your team to be transparent. Consider ways to receive direct and anonymous feedback to identify potential concerns that might arise with different projects, programs, or people.
- Consider an unaddressed conflict at work that has not been addressed. Connect with the person to talk through what happened and what is needed to move forward.
Additional Resources:
- The Secret of Successful Relationships
-
Words that Work: Rupture and Repair for Cofounders and Teams
- Rebuilding Trust IN Hybrid Work Model
- Supporting Employees: 6 Ways to Unlock Their Full Potential
Don’t miss episodes from Managing Well’s Relationship-Building Series:
- Ep 30: Relationship-Building – Set the Foundation with Elizabeth Byrne (Part 1)
- Ep 31: Relationship-Building – When Conflict Happens with Elizabeth Byrne (Part 2)
- Ep 33: Relationship-Building – Maintaining Strong Relationships at Work (Part 4)
The Managing Well podcast, with host Tonya Ladipo, talks about wellness in the workplace with people leaders, mental health professionals, HR experts, and more. Click the link to subscribe to the podcast and get the latest episodes.