What is a relational leadership model?
If you are entering an organization as a new leader, or it is time to change your relationship with your existing team as a relational leader, consider implementing a team relational contract with your leadership team. A relational leadership model sets mutual expectations for how decisions are made, how authority is shared, and how communication flows so that people are involved, accountable, and trusted.
Benefits of a relational leadership model
- Engaged workforce: An empowered and included workforce is an engaged workforce.
- Accountability: Empowered team members are more accountable.
- Inclusive culture: Provides a diversity of ideas for true innovation; input from front-line experts is quick and accurate because they are close to the customer, this is critical for an adaptable organization.
- Trusting culture: Allows the organization to deal with root cause issues rather than politics, and to take on big, challenging opportunities that require faith and drive from the heart.
- Sanity for the leader: The leader does not need to be everywhere, all the time, with all the answers.
Re-contracting with your Team
There is perhaps some irony in starting at the top with introducing relational leadership, but none-the-less you need your leadership team on board, and you need to practice what you preach before it can take hold across the organization.
Three things to consider when re-contracting with your Team:
Values
Relational leadership is about relations, so the Team’s Values need to reflect that. Inclusion, Empowerment, Respect, Collaboration, Innovation (and acceptance of failure) are examples of values that might already be part of the corporate values, and can be developed in more detail in the team charter to bring clarity to expected behaviours.
A simple Collaboration & Respect example would be: each member will have the opportunity to voice their thoughts on discussion points before a decision is made.
Roles & Responsibilities
A relational model may have rotating responsibility for meeting plans and chairing the meeting. Empower your team to provide opportunity for growth, and reduce your burden.
Discussions or activities relating to certain areas of expertise by default might be led by designated individuals within the group.
Communication
Open and honest communication is critical in a relational model. The Team meeting must be a safe place to allow for open communication. This takes time, and once established, leads to highly effective team work.
The Team can also devise norms for inclusive communication outside of the team to keep the entire organization engaged in key issues.
- What information will be communicated throughout the organization?
- How quickly will it be disseminated, by who, and by what method?
- What are the feedback systems to allow for 2-way communication?
Timeline and practical considerations
Setting up a relational contract with your team is not a short-term endeavour. With focus, it will take 6 to 12 months to become sustainable.
Some of our clients are moving to a relational leadership model and are finding it easier to manage a fully remote workforce, or a hybrid of on-site and remote team members.
Support to implement a relational leadership model
If you would like guidance to design a team relational contract and embed the practices of a relational leadership model, Sage and Summit can help through leadership training, team coaching, and executive coaching. Connect with us to get started.
