For any company to be successful, those within need to be able to gel and get along. This is especially true in a startup company with limited resources and workforce, meaning that it’s more important than ever to have strong relationships and be able to rely on one another when things are tough.
In this article, we’ll explore six ways for you to build strong relationships within a small company, sharing tips and tricks so that you can be as successful as possible. Whether you want to improve the morale within your team or want to better celebrate national friendship day, our tips should help bring your people together.
1. Communicate effectively
Communication is king and is one of the best ways to ensure that the people within your startup company have good relationships and can work together well. This is important because it means communication can become clearer, more precise, and less confusing, therefore reducing the likelihood of miscommunication. This helps your business because you can better trust the word of your colleagues.
Communication can be difficult to develop because people have their own individual tones, styles, and preferred methods of communication. What works for you might be a nightmare for the person sitting next to you, and so it is likely to be more a case of learning how to adapt the way you communicate depending on who it is you’re talking to. It’s a matter of compromise and doing what you can to reduce confusion.
2. Seek help when needed
Many of us see our work colleagues as our friends, especially when we see them for 8 hours a day and hear about the most intimate details of their personal lives. This means that people in the office can form close bonds and feel as though they can open up to one another when things get tough. Whether you need help with a personal or professional problem, in a startup there’s nowhere to hide, so getting help is often the best course of action.
3. Show appreciation
Good manners seem to be missing from the modern world, with everybody seemingly being more concerned about themselves and how they’re personally affected by things that have little to do with them. As a result of this, it can go unnoticed when somebody does something that has a genuinely positive impact, and as a result, they might not get the recognition that they really deserve. Small gestures deserve appreciation just as much as larger ones.
Appreciation is a rare thing to find in a company, but in a startup where you’re all working hard, small acts of kindness are definitely noticed and appreciated a lot more than if you were working for a faceless corporation. It’s hard to overstate just how much these small acts of kindness can improve somebody’s day, as well as how nice it can feel to have your efforts be appreciated, regardless of who it’s by.
4. Be supportive
It pays to be kind, and in a fast-paced and highly stressful environment, genuine friendships can be hard to come by. While they might not be your best friends outside of the office, you should always try to help your colleagues, as you never know when you might need them to return the favor. It’s not easy to open up, but you’d be surprised at how much this can help you get out of a hole.
Whether you need help on a personal level or with a task that’s causing you trouble, having the support of the people around you can go a long way in alleviating the issue. Given that many of us see our work colleagues more than family or friends, it’s no surprise that we form close relationships with these people and feel as though we can rely on them when things get tough.
5. Be honest
Honestly is always the best policy, and being upfront about what you think and how you feel will go a long way if you want to make your startup a success. Whether it’s being honest about salary expectations, company finances, or room for progression, being honest with the people around you certainly goes a long way in helping to bring people together and get them united behind a single idea or vision.
6. Be respectful
Although respectfulness should come as a given in any organization, small or large, you’d be surprised at how often it can go amiss. Not only is being respectful the right and moral thing to do, but it’s also something that can help shape your company’s core values and create relationships that go beyond the workspace. You don’t always have to agree with the things that your team members say, but you should always try to respect their views.
Respect-building exercises can involve going around the team and asking each person to say things that they find uncomfortable or don’t like to hear. By getting this out into the open, the other people who work with them can take extra care not to say anything that could upset them, thereby respecting their wishes and building a bond between them. It doesn’t take much to be respectful, though it certainly goes a long way.
