The ways in which we treat other people and engage them in the conversation will ultimately have a high impact on the answer. How often have you heard an office conversation in which there is a complete disconnect between those involved? It's not at all uncommon; a lack of trust and alignment has been shown to be a root cause of workplace friction.
That's why it's so fundamentally vital for us to manage expectations in a consistent way - not just on what is delivered, but on how we deal with people through its delivery. Building influence and trust amongst people who think differently and hold diverging values requires a significant amount of skill. When done correctly, Relationship Management allows people to engage and collaborate on what is important for the organisation – the customer - and provides the foundations for the subsequent management capabilities.
