imapMyTeam Blog

Valentine’s Day Relationship Matrix

Sunday morning with coffee and my journal in front of me I contemplated Valentine’s Day – and the core reason for celebrating that holiday – relationships.

I reflected on cards, flowers, candies, candlelight dinners and wine…I learned that the heart-shaped conversation candies originally made by Necco, called Sweethearts, got their start in 1901.

My thoughts drifted to business relationships and I created a standard 2x2 matrix with relationships on one axis and results on the other. Where did that lead me? As is always the case with a 2x2; four possibilities.

Possibility #1 is poor relationships, poor results. If that’s where you were (I use past tense for a reason) you’re not likely employed – at least not in a leadership role. Unfortunately, I think most of us at one point in our working lives likely experienced this part of the matrix.

Possibility #2 is good relationships, poor results. Leaders should not be here. Work is not about making friends or only pleasing people – you are ultimately measured by results. If you are here on the matrix maybe you are ‘terminally nice’ and maybe even a pushover for your team. Not a great place to be. Seeking out coaching to help you take a tougher stance with your group may be a remedy.

Possibility #3 is poor relationships, good results. You actually have a better chance, in my opinion, to survive longer here because you are achieving results. Those paying attention only to the bottom line may think, under a cursory examination, they are doing great. Yet a deeper analysis would likely tell a different story. This is not sustainable. Results yes, but at a great cost to people.  If you are here, seeking coaching that emphasizes emotional intelligence will help you get the people perspective back in balance. iMapMyTeam is your best friend, or should be.

The fourth and final variable is what you should strive for, and what all employees want from their leader - good relationships, good results. In this quadrant of the matrix we strike the right balance of valuing people, supporting them, understanding their passions and motivational needs and channeling energy to achieve and exceed company goals.

Valentine’s Day doesn’t celebrate work relationships, yet work relationships are critical to our success. A ‘gift’ you can extend to your colleagues is making sure they are actively using iMapMyTeam. They may have forgotten that the iMapMyTeam dashboard sits on their desktop available to help them balance managing business results and managing  the relationships that make those results possible.

Nudge them back into the fold, show them you care about their success; send them the heart that says www.iMapMyTeam.com