How can you build relationships with colleagues when new to a company?

I tell people all the time, the greatest muscle expansion I had that’s been most consistently helpful from job to job was my time as managing editor of Student Life newspaper at Washington University. As odd as that sounds, the intellectual curiosity, the ability to ask questions about something completely new to you, that’s completely consistent across industries, across jobs, across any opportunity.

In my experience and what has stood the test of time— in order to be interesting you need to be interested. Meaning the majority of a single conversation should be about the person you are speaking with.

Something I try to do with my team members is set up recurring 1:1s, just to check in. I’ve found that even a 15-minute session can create space for colleagues to raise any challenges or concerns, brainstorm new ideas, or even just provide a brief break from the usual grind - and it costs nothing.

When I am new within a company, I map out the people that would be helpful for me to meet and reach out directly to them suggesting we connect over coffee or virtually. I then also ask them whom else I should meet so that I can build collaborative and diverse networks within my organization.

Building strong work bonds is about more than tasks—it's about genuine connections. I go for abundance, not fear. Trust grows when I deliver what I promise. Let's not just work together, let's be real friends. 🌟 #WorkConnections #TrustAndDelivery

Find a problem your colleague is facing and take steps to help. When starting new at a company there are tons of problems known and unknown. Focusing and solving something your colleague is struggling with builds great teamwork and opportunities for future challenges.

Absolutely offer your support. Don't be afraid to follow, assist and help others succeed, this is the whole point of servant leadership; it's not about you, it's all about them. Your whole goal is to help make others more valuable than you ever were. No matter your position on the team you can adopt a servant leadership mindset and help others achieve their goals.

Zwei Personen aus dem bestehenden Team können als Mentoren fungieren. Eine Person inhaltlich und eine Person für die Zusammenarbeit im Unternehmenskontext (strategische, politische Fragen).

Showing interest is fantastic! I would challenge colleagues to take it a step further and seek mutual grounds of interest as well. The only sustainable engagements I have found, that went beyond the initial interaction, were one's where there was commonality of interest. There's something about engaging someone who has some form of common interest, it fuels the spark, it ignites further the engine of curiosity and balances the conversation. One sided conversations can risk feeling like an interview instead of a conversation. It also affords the other person a chance to learn a little more about you.

Knowing where and how the person can fill the gaps within an organisation and encouraging them to pick up that courage to take on a initiative that not helps fill the organisation's gaps but also allows the individual to shine.

In my experience, getting 360-degree feedback periodically becomes an effective tool to improve performance and productivity in reaching common goals.

Feedback ist nach meiner Erfahrung nur dann hilfreich wenn es ehrlich und authentisch übermittelt wird. Das bedeutet im Umkehrschluss dass ich als Führungskraft für mein Team da bin und nicht gegen mein Team arbeite. Denn als Führungskraft ist es meine primäre Aufgabe das mein Team funktioniert. Auch wenn viele Geschäftsführer dies anders sehen

A simple way to connect with new colleagues is to follow up after the zoom-google-hangout-teams meetings. Don't wait for others to connect with you. Something as simple as "I'm following up on the meeting from this morning, I'm new to the company and would love to better understand your role and how our work connects. Would you have a few minutes to meet on [insert date/time]" During that conversation ask "What's one piece of advice to help me get established quickly?" Then follow up, stay connected. Congratulations! You've made the first deposits into that relationship bank account.

In my experience, get to know and build a relationship with your new colleagues by setting up regular connect calls, break the ice sessions, giving and soliciting feedback and most importantly having an open mind and listening ear. Listening is important to knowing and understanding your colleagues and thanking and recognizing their inputs and thoughts will help build to grow the relationship. Additionally, seek ways to understand their goals and aspirations and see how you can help them out so that they know that you are in their corner and looking out for them.

As an executive coach, I always encourage new employees to seek feedback and advice from their colleagues actively. This not only demonstrates a commitment to personal growth and a growth mindset but also shows humility and a willingness to learn from the experience and expertise of others. When you ask for and genuinely consider their opinions and suggestions, it helps you improve and fosters mutual respect and collaboration. Remember, feedback is a gift; it’s a valuable opportunity for learning and development. By applying their advice and showing appreciation for their input, you build strong, respectful relationships within your team.

I couldn’t agree more that shoulder to shoulder is the only way to build a solid cohesive team. A leader who celebrates success, and takes the hit for the team and use the failure as a learning platform for the team is another way to build that unity. Through good and bad unity is key.

I wholeheartedly agree that celebrating successes and failures with colleagues is a powerful way to build strong relationships. Recognizing achievements, no matter how big or small, fosters a culture of appreciation and respect. It's vital to acknowledge the effort and impact behind each success, expressing genuine gratitude and admiration. Equally important is embracing failures as learning opportunities. This approach demonstrates your positivity, resilience, and commitment to continuous improvement. Sharing your experiences and learning fosters a supportive environment where growth is encouraged.

I agree celebrate intelligent failure and mistakes. Most of all celebrate people's successes, even small wins. Illuminate awesome. Praise progress, don't wait until a milestone is reached. Appreciate people and watch them fly

In addition to being one of the ways to show the team you care, the act of celebrating with them can break down barriers between and a leader and the team. Taking it a step farther, by partnering with a team member to plan the celebration, you can learn more about their specific passions and talents, which you can use to genuinely tailor your approach to leading them. When the team fails however, it is equally important to stand shoulder to shoulder with them. I had a great leader one time tell me that is easy to share the success when we win, but it is much harder to share in the failure. A great leader rises above this and is able to on the failure even when they are not the person who may have directly contributed to situation.

It would be honorable to celebrate the success of others illustrating congratulations to them because it would mean the world to them, whether it would be a rites of passage, like getting baptized, or an winning the award, to being inducted to the Hall of Fame. People who don’t feel left behind would feel more appreciated than ever before.

Aufgezwungene Teilhabe an Entscheidungen ist kontraproduktiv. Nicht jede Person mag es, im Mittelpunkt zu stehen und seine Ideen einzubringen. Zudem schwingt immer der Gedanke mit, bei neuen Ideen einem „älteren“ Teammitglied auf die Füße zu treten. Hier braucht es eine sehr gesunde Kommunikationskultur und der Wunsch nach frischen Impulsen.

Go through with the individual their decision making process to arrive at the decision. Rehearse that rationale with them as if presenting the decision to stakeholders. Then finally, pushing them to be the one to present that decision after the rehearsal. Credit goes to that team mate.

A servant leader recognizes the significance of team support. As a newcomer, even with experience, you lack all the answers. Genuine questions and an interest in pre-existing actions are crucial. The existing method may be necessary as you address more urgent opportunities. Trust between the leader and the team is vital. Both need to feel heard, understood, and respected. One cannot function without the other. The best leader understands they are there to support the team with what they need. If you are supportive and an advocate for your team, no project or task can stand in the way of your team's success - which is ultimately your success.

The whole idea of Servant Leadership is to lead by serving. Involving them in decision making is one way to serve that will make them comply and follow because in John Maxwell's own words "He that thinketh he leadeth when no one is following, is merely taking a walk.”

Completely agree with this point. Involving new colleagues in decision-making lights up the spark of ownership in them, and that is one of the best skills you can help someone achieve. This is what servant leadership is about. Value the insights shared by them and help them refine their strategies. Encourage them and set them as the face of that decision by supporting and guiding them throughout the process. This approach fosters a sense of responsibility and leadership among team members, contributing to a more collaborative and empowered work environment.

One strategy to take things to the next level is stepping away from work. Enjoy a coffee, a walk, a meal or a round of golf and learn about what makes them tick. Ask more open ended questions and engage them in a conversation where you can learn about them. Listen more than you talk and make the time to build the relationship.

I would say that having lunch in the new company's cafeteria was one of the best decisions I made for connecting with coworkers. After breaking the ice with the usual 'is anyone sitting here?' line and going through introductions, things just fell into place. One of my coworkers always brought card games such as Uno, Mille Bornes, or just standard playing cards. Playing card games with my coworkers fostered great camaraderie and conversation every lunch break. I was able to form strong friendships with those who took advantage of the cafeteria, making work collaboration much easier since I had gotten to know people outside of my department. If your employer allows it, I highly recommend bringing a deck of cards if you need an icebreaker.

In recent times it has become almost impossible to build rapport outside of work especially because people now work remotely. Organizing time for remote team bonding or team building helps build connections. Also keeping tabs of team members special events like children's birthday's, anniversary's etc and sending the messages on these dates makes a huge difference.

Blessing kings Relationship with your family and to build with confidence and consistent lets go of past it's important As leaders to relate to people and know their needs and opinions about your next business organization,Always share new information and ideas to follow and mentor and know each others discover and disagree with your work .Have they considered your word or grow. Because in business some will disagree with your ideas and wanted to consider their suggestions in something,so gives an a listing hear to have them. Aspect management of others to manage your business

I would also advise on not being shy of initiating some things that did work well from your previous work environment and at least attempting to inculcate them in your new environment. Being a Sales Director, we are in the industry of building relationships all the time. One of the things I enjoyed doing was challenging the team, be it on a physical exercise like indoor netball, or a inviting them to a competitive night of Bingo at the local lounge. The act of convening the team and putting forward a challenge is a fun way to get the camaraderie on the rise. This only works well if the culture of the business is one that is open and participative. If the culture is stern, this is still a subtle way of effecting change in that culture.

Be Reliable: Consistently deliver on your promises and commitments. Colleagues appreciate reliability, and it establishes you as a trustworthy team member. If you say you'll do something, make sure to follow through. Acknowledge and Respect Differences: People come from diverse backgrounds with varying perspectives and work styles. Acknowledge and respect these differences, fostering a positive and inclusive work environment.

Offer personal excellence coaching and training Share knowledge, Feedback on blind spots Possibility thinking Cross functional synergy Share effective tools used in other organizations Share book learning

Whenever you start in a new environment, you will have to build new relationships. The depth of the relationship can only grow over time, but it’s a good start to use the same formula as for building trust: credibility x reliability x intimacy / self interest. Credibility: ask questions to understand and share your knowledge. Reliability: act with consistency, do as you say. Intimacy: share information about yourself. Be vulnerable. Divided by self-interest: help others, contribute to the team goal.

As a new employee be pro-active if you can or so inclined. Rather than wait to be introduced, obtain a list of your stakeholders (from your line manager,HR, other member of the team)and go out to them, introduce yourself via email and ask to arrange a 1-2-1 introductory meeting with them. Even if you believe in yourself and your experience and have a lot of knowledge from your previous employment, don’t go in trying to immediately change things or impose your ideas or be the one with creative solutions to everything. Take time to understand the business, listen to learn, engage with people …