Guidelines for developing a symbiotic relationship with your team are essential to the successful completion of any project. These guidelines are not set in stone, but rather they are a guideline that can be used as a starting point for developing healthy and successful relationships with your team. The first guideline is that both parties must be comfortable with each other. Most people would think that this would be the easiest guideline to follow, but the truth of the matter is that some people are just not comfortable with others.
When you have people who are not comfortable with one another, you will find yourself constantly dealing with conflict. This can easily lead to an increase in tension and can even result in a demotion or two. This is not the way to win someone's respect and trust. If you have people who are constantly at odds with each other, it is very unlikely you will be able to create positive teamwork.
The next guideline is to keep communication open. When relationships within your company begin to disintegrate, communication between team members becomes extremely limited and tends to become negative. You want to avoid this as much as possible. If you must maintain a closed environment, make sure to communicate it to all team members.
The next guideline is to always prioritize the needs of your team above all else. People will tend to look out for their own interests first. If you are constantly there to answer their every need, then they will tend to feel as if you are their number one priority. It is important to remember that individual priorities will vary from team to team, so the needs of your individual team members should also vary.
The third guideline is to be there for your team whenever they need you. One of the hardest things for people to do is to simply "trust" others. If you truly care about your team, then you will do what you can to help them in times of trouble. You may have to sacrifice some things in order to be there for them, but you will be there for them. In turn, you will receive the satisfaction of knowing that you are making a positive impact on the lives of your team members.
The last guideline is to always be willing to learn from your team. You may be able to use these guidelines as a model for developing a healthy, respectful, and meaningful relationship with your team. Some people thrive in a learning environment, where they are given the opportunity to learn new information and take on new challenges. Other people thrive in a hands-on experience with people. By allowing your team to see you use your knowledge in an advisory capacity, they will be more likely to trust your decisions and your advice.