This standard requires leaders to treat relationship-building as a strategic investment, not a social nicety. Organisations run on trust; trust is built through relationships maintained over time. Leaders who invest in relationships unlock collaboration, navigate complexity, and retain talented people who want to work with them.
It supports the policy "Invest in Relationships" by making relationship quality a visible and accountable aspect of leadership practice.
| Category | Description |
|---|---|
| People & Culture | - Relationships formed only through work necessity. - Leaders transactional in how they engage peers and team members. |
| Process & Governance | - No expectation that leaders invest time in relationship-building beyond delivery. - Connections maintained only during active collaboration. |
| Technology & Tools | - No tools or platforms designed to support sustained relationship investment. - Communication siloed within team boundaries. |
| Measurement & Metrics | - Relationship quality not tracked or considered in leadership assessment. - Value of relationships invisible until they are absent. |
| Category | Description |
|---|---|
| People & Culture | - Some leaders invest in 1:1s beyond task-focused check-ins. - Cross-functional relationships formed during projects but not maintained. |
| Process & Governance | - Regular 1:1 cadences established but often task-focused. - Network mapping and relationship investment not explicitly planned. |
| Technology & Tools | - Communication tools support connection but not used with relationship intent. - Social channels exist but are underused for genuine connection. |
| Measurement & Metrics | - Engagement surveys include connection and belonging questions. - Limited tracking of cross-team relationship quality. |
| Category | Description |
|---|---|
| People & Culture | - Leaders deliberately maintain relationships inside and beyond their immediate team. - 1:1s include personal connection as well as work updates. |
| Process & Governance | - Leaders map and maintain key relationships as part of their leadership practice. - Cross-team coffees, check-ins, and informal communication part of leadership norms. |
| Technology & Tools | - Platforms used intentionally for connection (virtual coffees, interest channels, peer networks). - Tools designed to reduce isolation in remote or distributed teams. |
| Measurement & Metrics | - Connection and belonging tracked through pulse surveys. - Leaders reflect on relationship investment in development conversations. |
| Category | Description |
|---|---|
| People & Culture | - Relationship quality assessed as part of leadership effectiveness reviews. - Leaders coach others on how to invest in relationships strategically. |
| Process & Governance | - Cross-functional relationship investment tracked as part of collaboration health. - Leaders held accountable for team connection scores. |
| Technology & Tools | - Network analysis tools surface collaboration patterns and identify isolation risks. - Platforms designed to foster serendipitous connection across distance. |
| Measurement & Metrics | - Cross-team collaboration rates and network density tracked. - Correlation between leader relationship investment and team retention visible. |
| Category | Description |
|---|---|
| People & Culture | - Relationship-building is an ingrained leadership habit, not a scheduled activity. - Leaders are known and trusted beyond their formal authority. |
| Process & Governance | - Relationship investment is considered in organisational design and team structure decisions. - Social capital treated as a strategic asset. |
| Technology & Tools | - Continuous signals from tools inform whether connection and belonging are being maintained. - Relationship health a standing input to leadership and culture strategy. |
| Measurement & Metrics | - Social capital and network health tracked as organisational performance inputs. - Relationship quality included in balanced leadership scorecards. |