A note of caution at this point—If you’ve read many of these posts…
I’m not suggesting your goal is to convert every relationship into an Ally, nor that you be best buddies with everyone and take them home to meet your mother.
This is about finding a high road to respectful and effective workplace relationships.
If you are not achieving the results you desire, if working with others is not fun, or if candor and debate is destructive, it is essential that you take positive steps.
However, cultivating winning relationships is about quality, not quantity. Many of those we think of as “friends” on our Internet-based social networks are not Allies. Most are acquaintances.
According to a study, in 1985 the average American had three people to confide in and share important matters with. By 2006, the number had dropped to two people, with 25 percent of respondents admitting they had no confidante at all.
This point was further demonstrated in a 2012 poll by MacMillan Cancer Support of one thousand people aged eighteen to thirty-five. The poll, published in the Telegraph, indicated that while the average Facebook user had 237 friends, only 2 of these could be relied on in a tough situation, with two-thirds of respondents stating he or she had two or fewer really close friends.
One in eight (13 percent) admitted they did not have even a single person who was a good enough friend to rely on if life got very hard. Men (16 percent) were more likely than women (12 percent) to have no one to turn to.
About a quarter of people surveyed said they had only one true friend, while one in eight said they had no one at all!
If we put aside the human cost of isolation, the business impact is considerable.
Time and cost go up as the quality of relationships goes down, information sharing slows (or stops), silos are created, and decision-making is stalled.
It doesn’t matter if you’re part of a global corporate organization or a local nonprofit—if there is not a culture of trust and collaboration, results are negatively impacted.
Let’s do something positive about this, shall we?