Page 124 - How Great Leaders Build Abundant Organizations That Win

WHOM DO I TRAVEL WITH? (RELATIONSHIPS AND TEAMS [TH]AT WORK)

Fortunately, as we come to value the human element at
work, some of the old rules about not fraternizing are start-
ing to soften a bit. When research suggests that people
with at least one really good friend at work are more apt to
like their job and stick with it, friendship at work becomes
an asset rather than a liability. Research by the Gallup
Organization reveals that employees who have a best friend
at work are seven times more likely to be highly engaged at
work than those who do not. Those with a close friend at
work are almost twice as likely to be satisfied with their pay,
and that number stretches to three times as likely for those
in the lowest-paying jobs. People with close friends at work
are 27 percent more likely to see their strengths as aligned
with the company’s goals. These friendship claimers are also
statistically more likely to satisfy customers, get more done
in less time, have more fun on the job, have fewer accidents
at work, innovate and share ideas more, and simply show up
more consistently. Those with three or more close friends
at work report even more increases in work and life satisfac-
tion. While work friendships can create problems as well,
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the advantages of having strong friendships and good rela-
tionships at work seem to far outweigh the disadvantages.
Effective leaders play an important role in helping subor-
dinates make friends, build strong teams, resolve conflicts,
get along with customers, and build relationships of trust,
support, and abundance throughout the organization.
Effective leaders also reap the benefits of personal engage-
ment and satisfaction when they have close friends at work.
One plant manager who was worried about abysmal
scores on employee engagement measures (along with
high customer complaints, high absenteeism, a poor safety
record, and low overall plant performance) decided she had

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