Trust, teamwork, communication, and respect are keys to effective working relationships.  At Nine13sports, we perceive the notion that there’s nothing more fundamental than the relationships among our staff members.  The management of these personal relationships is critical to creating an effective, positive work environment.  For us to be able to reach our goals and values, in addition to accomplishing our mission and vision statements, we must continue to sustain healthy relationships in our work environment.  In this blog, a few insights on how these personal relationships are fostered within our organization will be detailed:

  • Be Yourself: One of the components of relationship-building that we’re consistently advocating to our staff is being yourself.  Especially for an organization such as ours, which is the complete opposite of a 9-5 desk job, we don’t want them to shy away from who they truly are – we want them to open up, show us their lighter side, talk among one another about their families and friends, what they enjoy doing in their free time, etc.  These conversations establish personal foundations among our staff, which in turn, allows them to feel more comfortable when discussing new ideas, projects, or concerns.

Our staff recognizes the impact strong relationships bring to Nine13sports.

  • Push One Another: Everyone thrives off a good challenge.  Working in the nonprofit sector, we’re consistently facing challenges on a daily basis.  Therefore, as an organization, our staff can’t have too much comfort as it leads to stagnation.  Although the idea of delivering constructive criticism at first can be difficult, the view of the practice will change once real results are achieved.  Different people respond to different incentives, but everyone needs an atmosphere that pushes to grow.
  • The Little Things Matter: We live in a world where the little things really do matter.  Every little thing that our staff does for one another, whether it’s covering for someone who has to run to an unexpected meeting, giving a helping hand when moving furniture, or buying coffee and/or lunch for someone is a small interaction that adds up to how we feel about one another.  These behaviors influence our behaviors each and everyday.

Positive team relationships help create teams that are productive, creative, and stimulating.  Successful team member relationships often extend beyond the walls of the workplace and into their personal lives.  While all of these elements are fairly practical, it helps our staff to complete our duties and responsibilities in a healthy fashion and to work together as one cohesive unit.