RETAINING GREAT EMPLOYEES BY BUILDING HIGH-QUALITY RELATIONSHIPS

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By Dr. Howard Gauthier
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As a leader, manager, or coach, you’re only as good as the people you recruit and employ.  Good leaders understand this.  They also know that in order to hire and retain great employees, they need to build high-quality relationships (HQR) with the members of their team or organization.
 
A high-quality relationship is much deeper than the typical relationship.  It is characterized by a strong and positive connectedness where people feel valued, trusted, and safe.  When workers are in a high-quality relationship they are more apt to create and share solutions to organizational problems.  This leads to an improved work environment, which leads to improved outcomes.  Further, when a person is in a HQR, they experience more emotional carrying capacity (able to handle negative emotions) which according to researchers allows them to bend, withstand strain, change behavior, and bounce back from adversity.
 
High-quality relationships are developed through honesty, respect, trust, and truly caring for the people you work with.  The outcomes of HQR are a tightknit team that people want to join, and don’t want to leave.  This translates into a positive work environment where productivity increases, sales increase, and creativity flourishes.  The ultimate outcome is that you build a strong and loyal customer base.  When employees feel valued, they work harder, work longer, and care more about the product and service.  The benefactor of this positivity is a great experience for the customer.
 
So how do you build high-quality relationships.  The key is to focus on creating a positive work climate where people can be open and honest with one another.  Where people build each other up (being genuine, caring, and sincere) instead of tearing them down.  More specifically, you as the leader, manager, or coach should:

1. Have high expectations for proper and positive behavior.
2. Hire for fit instead of talent (but don’t discount how important talent is).
3. Be Positive - Communicate with a minimum of a 5:1 positive-to-negative ratio.
4. Take time to learn about, and care about, your employees.
5. Reward the correct behaviors and extinguish (usually in private) the behaviors that are contrary to the values of the organization (i.e. negativity, gossiping, work ethic, etc.).

 
In the end, positivity builds success and happiness.  People want to work for teams and organizations that are positive and successful.  If you want to build an organization that is the best in your industry, you need to hire and retain quality people.  This is done through building high-quality relationships.  As a leader, manager, or coach, you’re only as good as the people you recruit and employ.  

Dr. Howard Gauthier is a professor in the College of Education at Idaho State University where he teaches leadership and management courses.  He is also the CEO of the Institute for Positive Leadership.  Dr. Gauthier is a current author and speaker.  Check out his latest book "The Positive Leader" at www.ThePositiveLeader.org.