4 - Building Better Business Relationships, One Word at a Time
Strong relationships don’t need grand gestures. They need everyday respect, clarity and care.
Most business owners want good relationships with the people they work with. Staff, customers, suppliers, contractors, partners. When those relationships are strong, everything feels easier. The work flows. The team pulls together. Mistakes get sorted quickly. People stick around longer. You look forward to coming in each day.
But when relationships are shaky, it shows up fast. Tension rises. People stop talking openly. Tasks fall through the cracks. Customers get short responses or feel ignored and good people start quietly checking out.
You don’t need to be best mates with everyone. You do need trust, respect and a way of speaking to each other that keeps things honest without being harsh.
The good news? You don’t need to overhaul your personality or do anything dramatic. Stronger relationships are built one conversation at a time. Often, it’s the little things that matter most.
What makes a relationship strong at work?
It’s not complicated. The strongest working relationships tend to have four things in common -
Clear expectations
People know what’s expected of them and what they can expect from you. There’s less guesswork and fewer surprises.Mutual respect
Even if you disagree, you listen. You treat each other’s time and effort as valuable.Open lines of communication
You can raise issues before they turn into problems. You don’t have to tiptoe around things.A bit of humanity
People feel seen. Not just as a worker or a client, but as a person.
Ten ways to strengthen relationships without making it a big deal
Here are ten small habits that, done consistently, will lift the quality of your working relationships.
1. Use names
It sounds obvious, but it makes a difference. Using someone’s name in conversation makes the exchange more personal and more respectful. It shows you're talking to them, not at them.
2. Say thank you (and mean it)
Don’t wait for something big. A quick “Thanks for sorting that out” or “Appreciate you jumping in there” carries weight. Everyone wants to feel their effort is seen.
3. Ask for input, even if you already have a plan
It’s not always about changing direction. It’s about letting people feel involved. “Anything I’ve missed here?” or “What would you change if it were up to you?” can open the door.
4. Follow up
When someone raises something with you, even if you can’t solve it straight away, circle back. “Just letting you know I haven’t forgotten about that” builds trust.
5. Show your working
Instead of saying “We’re doing it this way,” try “Here’s what we considered and here’s why we landed on this.” Even if people disagree, they’ll appreciate the transparency.
6. Don’t avoid difficult conversations
If something’s gone wrong or there’s tension, raise it early. Letting it stew won’t help. Try “Can we talk about what happened the other day? I want to get things back on track.”
7. Be consistent
People trust what they can predict. If you’re calm one day and explosive the next, no one knows what to expect. Try to keep your tone and follow-through steady.
8. Share small positives
“Hey, I noticed you handled that client well” or “Nice job getting that file sorted so quickly” doesn’t take long, but it lifts the mood.
9. Choose your words with care
The difference between “Why’d you do it like that?” and “Can you walk me through your thinking?” is the difference between defensiveness and dialogue.
10. Make room for the human stuff
A quick “How’s your week been?” at the start of a call, or asking how someone’s weekend went, builds connection. It doesn’t mean you’re getting personal. It just means you care.
A story from the floor
Michelle runs a landscape design business just outside Napier. A few years back, she noticed her team had started keeping things to themselves. Mistakes weren’t being admitted, small problems weren’t being flagged and people had started leaving early without saying much.
She didn’t know what was going on, but it didn’t feel good.
She started checking in one-on-one, asking how people were finding the work. No formal meetings. Just five minutes while they were packing up the ute. She didn’t push, just listened. Slowly, people opened up. One person had been feeling left out of decision-making. Another was confused about their role. A third said they felt no one noticed when they went the extra mile.
None of these were hard to fix. But they wouldn’t have come up unless Michelle had started the conversation.
Now it’s part of their rhythm. Every couple of weeks, she checks in. Not because something’s wrong. Just because it’s easier to keep relationships strong than it is to fix them once they’ve cracked.
What to watch out for
Building stronger relationships doesn’t mean being soft. You can still set clear boundaries, make tough calls and hold people accountable. But it does mean doing those things with respect.
If you’re noticing tension, here are some red flags that a relationship might be fraying -
People stop speaking up in meetings
There’s a drop in initiative or care
Team members start working around each other instead of with each other
Feedback is avoided or ignored
There’s a growing sense of “us and them” between teams or layers
When you see these signs, it’s a signal to reconnect, not a reason to blame.
Final thought
Strong relationships aren’t built overnight. But they are built. Bit by bit. Word by word. Day by day. Through the way you speak. The way you listen. The way you show up.
In business, your relationships are part of your toolkit. Treat them well and they’ll carry you through tough seasons. Neglect them and you’ll find yourself pushing twice as hard just to stay in the same place.
Next up, we’ll take a deeper look at what it means to really listen. Not just wait your turn to speak. But listen in a way that makes people feel heard, respected and understood.
If you’d like a confidential, free of charge, free of obligation conversation about your business, here’s how to get me.
📞 Phone +64 275 665 682
✉️ Email john.luxton@regenerationhq.co.nz
🌐 Contact Form www.regenerationhq.co.nz/contact
If you’d like to read more RegenerationHQ thinking on SME business and other things, go here – www.regenerationhq.co.nz/articlesoverview
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