Healthy Relationships in Workplace Discussion Reply
Healthy Relationships in the Workplace – Main Discussion
Leadership Strategies
A healthy relationship between a leader and their followers requires a partnership composed of “trust, mutual respect, support, and communication” (Manion, 2011, p. 36). One strategy a leader can employ to build healthy relationships with their followers is to be visible. Followers recognize a leader’s presence because it creates an encouraging and supportive environment that allows the employee to feel connected. Being available for followers to ask questions during situations where they are less confident or need support is essential in creating an environment that feels safe. Even when the leader does not have all the answers, just having the support of a leader provides encouragement and support an employee may need to help work through the situation. Achor (2012) studied the effect of social support on happiness and found that it was the “greatest predictor of happiness during periods of high stress (p. 102). The leadership-follower relationship can be viewed as a social support system within the workplace that promotes and sustains follower happiness.
Another leadership strategy to build healthy leader-follower relationships includes communication transparency. Leaders must be able to openly communicate with their followers as well as serve as a sounding board to work through difficult situations, provide positive and negative feedback, and provide resources to advance their growth and development (Manion, 2011). Open communication also creates an element of trust between the follower and the leader. The foundation of a good relationship is based on trust. Trust creates positive relationships that have been proven to contribute to follower happiness and success in their professional lives (Lussier & Hendon, 2018).