How to Build Strong Relationships at Work
Most of us remember how relationships at work used to develop.
People bumped into one another in the hallway. They grabbed lunch together. They worked on the “green file” at the golf course. Conversations happened before meetings started and continued after they ended.
Some of those opportunities still exist. Many don’t.
Today’s organizations look different. Teams are distributed, hybrid work is common, and calendars are full. Conversations are more likely to begin with someone clicking “Join Meeting” than walking into the same room.
Yet one thing has not changed.
Strong relationships are still one of the most important foundations of effective leadership and healthy teams.
So how do we build them intentionally in the modern workforce?
Relationships are the infrastructure of strong teams
When teams have strong relationships, they are often better equipped to navigate whatever comes next.
Every organization experiences change. Priorities shift, people move into new roles, strategies evolve, and unexpected challenges arise. Teams with strong relationships already have a foundation of trust to build on.
They recover from setbacks more quickly, have difficult conversations sooner, collaborate more easily, and give one another the benefit of the doubt when something goes wrong.
Conflict doesn’t just disappear, but there’s enough trust and shared commitment to work through it together.
I’ve often found that when a team is struggling, it’s the relationships underneath the work that need attention.
Yet strong working relationships don’t require everyone on the team to be best friends. Liking one another may make working together more pleasant, but it isn’t a prerequisite. Having enough trust, mutual respect, and commitment to work together effectively is what makes the biggest difference.
Relationships don’t happen by accident anymore
Many organizations still assume relationships will develop naturally over time.
Sometimes they do. Increasingly, they don’t.
When our work is mediated by calendars, email, and video calls, the informal moments that once built familiarity become much less common.
That means leaders often need to be more intentional and ensure that relationship-building becomes part of the work rather than something that happens around the work.
That intentionality can show up in surprisingly simple ways. One of the easiest is building check-ins into regular team meetings. Before moving into the agenda, try asking everyone to share the best part of their weekend, what they’re looking forward to that week, or another question that gets people’s voices into the room.
A few minutes of genuine connection, practiced consistently, creates opportunities for people to know one another beyond the task at hand. Over time, those small moments can contribute to stronger working relationships.
What helps build quality relationships?
One framework I often draw on in my work is the Team Elements framework, developed by Bennett Bratt. The framework explores four interconnected dimensions of effective teams: the quality of conversations, relationships, work, and outcomes.
When we think specifically about the quality of relationships, four elements stand out:
Norms: How do we work together? What behaviours and expectations guide our interactions?
Shared vision: Do we have a common understanding of where we’re headed and why it matters?
Mutual commitment: Can we rely on one another, and are we equally invested in the success of the team?
Conflict resolution: Do we have healthy ways of working through differences and repairing relationships when tensions arise?
These elements are built through everyday conversations, shared experiences, and consistent leadership.
When leaders intentionally strengthen the quality of relationships, teams are often better able to collaborate, navigate change, solve problems together, and weather challenges with greater resilience.
Final thoughts
Leadership is often associated with strategy, decisions, and results.
Relationships are what help those things happen.
They create the trust that allows people to collaborate, challenge one another respectfully, navigate conflict, and stay connected when the work becomes difficult.
If your team is thinking about how to strengthen relationships, improve collaboration, or create healthier ways of working together, I’d be happy to explore that conversation with you. Schedule an exploration call to learn more.
Liv Olson is an executive coach and facilitator specializing in team effectiveness. She partners with financial services leaders and their teams to strengthen clarity, confidence, and collaboration.