The Sunday Mail
A RELATIONSHIP can simply be defined as the way in which two or more people are connected and behave towards one another.
Changing Perspectives
Rutendo Gwatidzo
There are various types of relationships.
They include family, work, romantic and acquaintanceship relationships.
The quality of relationships around us determines the quality of life that we live.
I believe no person can effectively live life alone.
We may lack certain relationships, but others, like kinship, will always be a part of us in many ways.
Life is mainly about the experiences we have with others, and these can be good or bad.
In most cases, good relationships improve the quality of our lives.
Have you ever felt lonely around many people?
It simply indicates that the quality of the relationships around you is not good.
On the other hand, you can be alone but not lonely, if your relationships are healthy.
My experience
Some time ago, four of my family members fell sick at a time when our finances were strained.
This was during the Covid-19 pandemic peak phase, when treatment of the disease was expensive.
The lack of finances could have resulted in death of these family members, especially as two of them were critically ill. However, because of the good relationships that I had with family, friends, workmates and church associates, I managed to get assistance in many ways. Some contributed financially and materially, others spiritually, and yet others emotionally.
The battle was not mine alone.
We fought it as a team and to keep a long story short, I did not feel alone.
Those who were sick did not feel lonely, and they all managed to conquer the disease. Another time, I was overwhelmed by certain problems.
I went through depression, and it was the relationships around me that helped me through the rough patch.
Organisations and status
The interesting part of our work lives is that they take a significant portion of our time. On average, a day’s work is usually between 8am and 5pm.
And one will probably need at least an hour before that to prepare to get to work, and another hour afterwards to return home. Work alone can take 11 hours of your day. Assuming that one sleeps for eight hours, it means only five hours will be left to do anything and everything else.
Despite so much time being taken up by work, some employees do not have sound relationships amongst themselves.Their relationships tend to be very transactional, because a good number of employees do not take time to invest in relationships within the workplace.
They view the workplace simply as a place to sell their labour.
People fail to realise that how they relate at the workplace can have a strong impact on their quality of life.
It is possible to care for one another beyond the workplace.
But many workplace relationships are associated with jealous, envy, unhealthy competition and show off. This hinders quality relationships.
Some time ago, at one of the organisations that I work with, a senior manager suddenly collapsed while in the toilet.
The person who first saw him in that state was a subordinate, who then rushed to call others to assist.
There was no other senior manager present in the office on the day.
The junior staff member called an ambulance, which took the senior manager to a private hospital.
For admission, cash was required upfront because they did not have his medical aid details.
Those who had gone with him to the hospital called others at the office to mobilise the required funds, and in no time, the senior manager was attended to.
By the time they reached out to me, as human resources consultant, he was already conscious.
Imagine if the senior manager had bad relations with the subordinate who found him; he could have been ignored.
And if he had bad relations with the other subordinates, they may not have mobilised the funds that were urgently needed.
It is one thing to be a leader, and to stick to values and principles while you lead. It is also another thing to be ruthless or cruel in the name of leading.
You can still be effective without being cruel. You can still achieve good results by relating well with others.
Differences can be addressed amicably. It is possible to part ways without burning the bridge. One author once said: “We meet to part and we part to meet.”
Life is a cycle.
You never know in whose hands your life will depend on tomorrow.
Managers and subordinates should relate well, even as they maintain work goals and objectives.
Relating well with others is not a sign of weakness. Many people assume that leaders should be intimidating and unapproachable, for them to be effective. In as much as leadership styles differ, we need to remember that we are still human.
One day, your life may depend on the mercy of those around you.
General facts
Quality relationships increase understanding, intimacy, well-being, care, mutual respect, commitment and appreciation, among other things.
If you need to quickly or amicably achieve your goals, invest in quality relations with those you are working with, towards the achievement of your goals.
It is often easy to commit or to sacrifice towards something, if you relate well with those connected to a project.
I challenge, encourage and inspire you all to improve the quality of your relationships, in order to improve the quality of your lives.
Rutendo Gwatidzo is managing consultant at The HUB HR Consultancy. She is a multi-award-winning leader, consultant, speaker and coach. She is also the author of “Born to Fight” and “Breaking the Silence”. Contacts: +263 714 575 805; [email protected]; Facebook: Rutendo Gwatidzo_Official
