What was the problem you were grappling with?
Working together as a team and fostering close relationships among employees has always been important to me. But there was a time when I hit a wall with a colleague. We just weren’t in sync. Despite agreeing on things, the follow through just wasn’t there. I tried, but it felt like we were stuck in the same spot.
Whom did you approach for advice and why?
I reached out to my manager, who’s more than just a boss to me. He’s incredibly sharp with business and someone I genuinely trust. His advice has always been spot on, both in and out of work situations.
What was the advice you received?
He told me to get into the trenches with my colleague and their team, join their meetings but mostly just listen. The idea was to get a real sense of their challenges and what was on their mind.
How effective was it in resolving the problem?
After spending a couple of weeks with them, I realised that I had been too wrapped up in my own agenda. What I thought were compromises weren’t really addressing their core challenges. Changing our approach to include their priorities made a world of difference.
We started working together, not just alongside each other. It’s a bit of a cliché, but there’s truth in “listening to understand, not just to respond”. It’s the key to building trust and really effective teamwork.