What if the person who’s written one of the most practical and best-selling books on coaching for managers and leaders turned their attention to the health of working relationships?
That’s what Box of Crayons’ founder, Michael Bungay Stanier, did. His new book, How to Work with (Almost) Anyone, is a guide for anyone who wants to stop hoping that their working relationships will be good and wants to start doing something about it.
If you work with other human beings, keep reading.
We spend countless hours in our working relationships, whether it’s who we manage, our own boss, our colleagues or our key customers. Our success, and the success of our businesses, depend on how well we manage these relationships, so let’s see how we can improve them.
It’s time to start building the Best Possible Relationship. Meaning one that’s …
- Safe. Have you ever been asked the question: “What would you do if you had no fear?” It makes you feel brave even to just hear those words. Too often people won’t stick their hands up with their best ideas out of fear of embarrassment. How can we eliminate that?
- Vital. Michael describes vital as “constructing a working relationship with the right combination of support and challenge, one where you each have the best chance to do work that matters, take responsibility for and make your own choices, and learn and grow.” Don’t we all seek that level of purpose and empowerment?
- Repairable. It’s often said that the best relationships aren’t those that have never been damaged or gone through turmoil, but those that have and come out on the other end stronger than ever. That’s what repairable is about, a relationship that is resilient.
Every working relationship can be better, and it starts with building the Best Possible Relationship that Michael describes (don’t worry – you’ll learn more about this in the book). It’s not just the work that matters, but the power of talking about how we work together.
If you’re a human that works with other humans, then How to Work with (Almost) Anyone is for you. You can pre-order your copy now.