Imagine moving across the country to accept a new job during the pandemic. You arrive at the new position where employees are all teleworking. How do you build relationships and instill trust in such an environment? That was the challenge I faced last July amid the COVID-19 shutdown when the Army transferred me to a new billet as the Human Resources Command Readiness Chief at Fort Knox, Kentucky. By the time I moved my household and arrived on the job, my entire staff of 16 were all teleworking.
Everyone agrees that leading requires relationships, but it is challenging to build relationships when communicating electronically. Email and texting are great for passing information, but they do not provide the social cues necessary to develop lasting relationships. One of the first lessons new leaders learn is the importance of establishing a relationship with those you are leading.
Building Relationships
A leader’s communication is essential to supporting staff and meeting the needs of the organization’s mission. Successful leaders understand three things: First, people are social creatures and need to interact with one other. One of a leader's primary roles is to establish a climate that allows interactions to occur and foster trust. In a telework environment, it is difficult to bring people together in a meaningful way to support the development of relationships.
Second, people want to feel appreciated and know they are contributing to the success of the organization. When we see each other every day in t ..
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