What are the best ways to build strong relationships with direct reports?

I use the 70 / 20 / 10 framework with my DRs - 70% of their learning is on the job and job-related experiences, 20% of their learning comes from others and working cross-collaboratively, and 10% is stretch projects or passion projects. I also make sure I know what my DRs career goals are - even if their dream job isn't a role on my team. If there's a job that they're excited about on another team, they know that I'll support them in that interview process or transition. You can't build a strong team culture, if your people are afraid to have career ambitious and try new things.

I've been a people manager for 6 years now and this is what I did 1) I dont load them with work instead, give them priroties for the day mostly or week 2) I beleive in one at a time approach 3) I'll be a role model 4) I learn , share my knowledge and ask them to do 5) Use tools to measure their performance 6) Build cordial relationship with them and among them( which managers forget) 7) Tell them why they should do something , dont just ask them to do 8) Gamify to make it interesting and fun 9) Appreciate their efforts 10) Do regular 1:1, give and recieve feedback, listen to them, have patience to fix issues

An effective way is to schedule 1:1s & Check ins. The following are the benefits 1. The expectations are laid out by both parties 2. A regular meeting to ensure connect specificallly in the post remote working Covid era 3. To provide support on any work stream of the team members 4. To ensure a personalised connect with them & check well-being of theirs & their families 5. To understand their aspiration 6. To offer timely feedback 7. To provide a platform to showcase their achievements & reward appropriately 8. To clear the air or anxiety if any 9. To understand their personalities 10. To gather feedback & formulate development plans for self as a team manager. These ways how connect & relationships at work can be made stronger.

I used to practice the following; 1. Provide clear and honest feedback 2. Lead to positive approach with mutual respect 3. Set clear expectation 4. Encourage to present opinion to discuss 5. Encourage to learn and keep data and information to be accurate and have confident.

Help them grow Help your direct reports grow in their career by letting them know what exactly is expected out of them and how they can improve themselves. They might be doing well in their current role but to grow to the next level, they need to upskill themselves in several aspects, and providing such a clear roadmap will improve the relationship and set clear expectations.

The best way & my best way is to call a Spade a Spade & I am not scared to do that in-front of the spade. I have experienced that team members really appreciate their managers being upfront, honest & transparent about aspects about their work relationships or engagements. Not only does it create a positive image about the manager, the company also helps give people the correct alignment on their forward looking slate.This I feel & also in my experience is the ultimate way of stakeholdership & remove any toxicity in the pipeline.The idea openness & accepting openness at work is one essential & pertinent way of ensuring psychological safety at work. Psychological safety has the potential of ensuring a positive & harmonius work relationship

Building psychological safety with direct reports is a good way to foster a culture of trust and openness. One can start by having authentic conversations, showing vulnerability when needed and walking the talk role modeling what is preached.

The foundation of the any relationship is Trust and Confidence. However, some leaders don't take the time to build the trust of their teams. When leaders sincerely take time to get to know their team members, they connect in a deeper level that will help them engage, manage the performance and have a direct line that make things easier in the long run. High performance teams are made of "connected" individuals that look at a common goal and works hard to achieve it.

You must jointly decide on the frequency and duration of your one-on-ones to avoid a one size fits all syndrome. Encourage a culture of dissent by having a few rules of engagement as this leads to better quality of decisions.

If a manager is not sure how to do this, they should begin by asking themselves "Why did we hire this employee?" Every employee, from senior execs on down, comes to the organization with knowledge, skills, and abilities. Knowing that, managers can then understand how to empower employees to use those skills and get out of their way. At the same time, managers should also do a certain amount of navel gazing to truly understand why they might feel a need to micromanage. Is it really a lack of trust in employees, or is it a need to boost their own profile? Micromanagement smacks of distrust. And that drives employees away. Empowering employees makes them feel trusted and valued and inspires loyalty.

Empowering DRs is most effective when you take responsibility for their failures and give them credit for their achievements.

Accolades & Appreciations bring people together. They give them a sense of acceptance & esteem. In my organisation we have following systems for appreciation 1. SPOT AWARDS - A quick accolade for appreciation on any desired behaviour or demonstration. 2. G2W Grow to Win - A platform where team members across echelons present their achievements to a larger group. This brings accountability & esteem These are accompanied by very strong reward mechanisms of Amazon gift coupons etc as reinforcers to help them remember the achievement & give them a positive experience. Also, this serves as a motivator for others to be take this opportunity to be visible as a part of this achievement platform

All your DRs may not prefer to be recognized or appreciated in public. Some customization is necessary. Explore non-monetary recognition where you are providing an experience as it is more effective.

Support their growth and development with constant feedback or feed-forward. Don't hesitate to use such sessions to take feedback on your feedback, or obtain feedback on your decisions etc.

So often organizations, and the managers in them, are concerned about people leaving after getting training on the company dime. Guess what! Employees will, for sure, leave if they DON'T get training. So, help them learn, and show them the path to growth within the organization. What career paths are available? How can they access them? Then support their efforts to follow the path.

Addressing conflicts and misunderstandings effectively as a manager requires a non-threatening, neutral approach. Approach the conversation with the intention of understanding potential challenges your direct report might be facing, hindering their performance or communication. Assume that any underperformance isn't intentional, but a result of their current understanding. From my experience, once you grasp their perspective, resolving the core issue becomes straightforward—providing tailored training, mentorship, or helping with prioritization.

Deliver on your promise. If you are hiring a leader to drive digital transformation for example, then provide the support and resources (headcount, technology, budget+) to effectively do the job with impact. I’ve been in situations where the hiring manager says go drive change… but then also says “you’re moving too fast.” Pick a side and be consistent.