{"id":26595,"date":"2023-03-07T11:27:24","date_gmt":"2023-03-07T11:27:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/benelux.vps.buzztestserver.co.uk\/?post_type=resources&#038;p=26595"},"modified":"2024-09-04T11:02:44","modified_gmt":"2024-09-04T09:02:44","slug":"4-ways-to-strengthen-your-peer-relationships-and-become-more-effective","status":"publish","type":"resources","link":"https:\/\/benelux.vps.buzztestserver.co.uk\/en\/resources\/4-ways-to-strengthen-your-peer-relationships-and-become-more-effective\/","title":{"rendered":"4 Ways to Strengthen Your Peer Relationships (and Become More Effective)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><em>This article originally appeared on\u00a0<em><em><a href=\"https:\/\/benelux.vps.buzztestserver.co.uk\/en\/microlearning\/\">Microlearning<\/a><\/em><\/em>, our bite-sized online solution for leaders and individual contributors.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/benelux.vps.buzztestserver.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/4-ways-to-strengthen-your-peer-relationships.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-26621\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019re overly focused on your day-to-day tasks, you could be missing out on a key way to improve your performance \u2014 connecting with peers on your team and across your organization. By cultivating a strong peer network, you can secure the information, collaboration, and resources you need to do great work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Some people avoid this kind of internal networking because they think it\u2019s political maneuvering or that they don\u2019t have time. But peer networking can be done in the spirit of helping your peers, team, and organization \u2014 rather than solely for personal gain. And if time is your most scarce resource, understand that strong relationships can end up making you more \u2014 not less \u2014 efficient. After all, it\u2019s a lot easier and faster to get help from someone who knows and respects you than from someone who doesn\u2019t, whether that person is the friend you call when you run out of gas at 2am or the peer in finance who helps get you a client refund in time to save a key account.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are a few ways to start building a strong peer network:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-1-make-a-list-of-peers-whose-work-links-to-yours-and-focus-on-building-key-relationships-that-should-be-stronger\">1. Make a list of peers whose work links to yours \u2014 and focus on building key relationships that should be stronger.<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Rather than having lots of connections, aim for strong working relationships with the&nbsp;<em>right<\/em>&nbsp;connections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To find out if you\u2019re cultivating the correct ones:<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Spend 15 minutes brainstorming and writing down a list of peers whose work impacts yours.<\/strong>&nbsp;These are the people who can help you get work done, who depend on your work, or who have similar goals to you. Think broadly. As Linda Hill and Kent Lineback write in their book,&nbsp;<em>Being the Boss<\/em>, \u201cIf your networks don\u2019t extend beyond the location where you work or the people you see often, if they don\u2019t anticipate future needs, you almost certainly aren\u2019t reaching far enough.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Rank each relationship as strong, weak, or nonexistent.<\/strong>&nbsp;Strong means you\u2019re already allies, openly sharing information and helping each others\u2019 ideas and projects succeed. Weak indicates you see room for improvement, and nonexistent could indicate that you haven\u2019t tried connecting with the person or that, because of a personal clash or other reason, you and the person aren\u2019t engaging.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Consider which relationships to focus on building.<\/strong>&nbsp;Some good candidates: Weak or nonexistent connections who are important to your current work, who could potentially help you with future work, or who could offer important insights so you better understand the big picture for your team and organization. For example, say you\u2019re in engineering and have deep knowledge of customer behavior. Could you exchange ideas with someone in marketing who could shed light on your industry\u2019s competitive landscape?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>To ensure you follow through, pick just a few to start \u2014 say, no more than three to five \u2014 and reach out to them in a way that seems most appropriate to start building the relationship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And don\u2019t forget these two key points: The relationship can grow much stronger if you start building it now, rather than waiting until you need something from the person. And be sure to pick people who are relevant to your work \u2014 not just people you like personally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-2-be-proactive-in-sharing-mutually-beneficial-information-not-just-seeking-it\">2. Be proactive in sharing mutually beneficial information (not just seeking it).<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>By gathering information from peers, you can gain a better understanding of how to contribute to team and company goals, set the right priorities, propose ideas that are in line with team and business needs, and ask for the right resources to succeed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But you don\u2019t just want to seek information without offering it. Instead, think proactively about sharing information by asking others how you can help. Also, ask yourself:&nbsp;<em>What information do I have that could enable someone to make better decisions? that could make their work life easier?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Hear about someone on another team just starting a process that you\u2019re already familiar with? Offer to share best practices. Is a new hire starting on your team? Take the time to sit down with them to give important context on how your team operates and how your work intersects with theirs, and to talk through ways you can work well together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This approach can even strengthen ties, or at least reduce the strain on them, when you\u2019re sharing bad news. For example, is your project running behind schedule? Loop in other people who depend on your work as soon as possible to explain why and what you\u2019re doing to troubleshoot the issue. They may not be thrilled with the news, but at least they\u2019ll be better prepared to adjust if needed (and likely will appreciate the heads-up).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-3-take-advantage-of-brief-or-chance-encounters-to-spark-creative-conversations\">3. Take advantage of brief or chance encounters to spark creative conversations.<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>People and teams have a tendency to fall into idea ruts. And research, including that of sociologist Ronald Burt, suggests that those who branch outside of their usual group of confidants are more exposed to new ways of thinking, behaving, and problem solving. People whose networks span into other groups \u201care at higher risk of having good ideas,\u201d Burt writes. \u201cThis is not creativity born of genius; it is creativity as an import-export business. An idea mundane in one group can be a valuable insight in another.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To start generating the kinds of sparks that could lead to breakout ideas, take advantage of those incidental bursts of time you spend with peers to go beyond the mundane \u201cHow was your weekend?\u201d small talk. In the five minutes before a meeting really gets going or during a chance encounter in a lunch line, try asking questions like, \u201cSo, what are you working on?\u201d or \u201cWhat are you excited about right now?\u201d or \u201cWhat\u2019s your biggest challenge?\u201d to start a quick conversation that could lead to a fruitful exchange of ideas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-4-become-an-active-feedback-seeker-on-your-ideas-and-projects-but-only-if-you-genuinely-want-the-input\">4. Become an active feedback-seeker on your ideas and projects (but only if you genuinely want the input).<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Just as peers can help inspire creative ideas, they can also offer valuable perspectives on your work in progress. By seeking others\u2019 views and opinions, you could not only end up with a better finished product, but also greater buy-in from peers \u2014 especially if you couch your request for feedback in terms of how it may benefit them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, maybe you\u2019re in sales and want to run some new messaging by a peer in engineering to be sure you\u2019re not overlooking a key feature. You could say, \u201cI\u2019m wondering if you\u2019d be willing to take a look at some new messaging I\u2019m working on \u2014 I want to be sure it truly captures the benefits of the new feature your team built.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That said, don\u2019t ask purely to ingratiate yourself with a peer. Ask because you really do want the person\u2019s feedback. Asking and then ignoring what someone says (or at least not explaining why, in the end, you didn\u2019t take their feedback) could end up doing more harm than good to your relationship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Last but not least, before you ask, determine exactly what kind of feedback you\u2019re seeking: Do you need someone to bounce a quick idea off of, or are you looking for an in-depth critique of a project you\u2019ve spent considerable time on? You may call on different people depending on your answer. Also, be sure you\u2019re clear and specific in what you\u2019re after when you ask the person.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This article originally appeared on\u00a0Microlearning, our bite-sized online solution for leaders and individual contributors. If you\u2019re overly focused on your day-to-day tasks, you could be missing out on a key way to improve your performance \u2014 connecting with peers on your team and across your organization. By cultivating a strong peer network, you can secure [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","class_list":["post-26595","resources","type-resources","status-publish","hentry","type-newsletters"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.6 (Yoast SEO v27.9) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>4 Ways to Strengthen Your Peer Relationships | FranklinCovey<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"By cultivating a strong peer network, you can secure the information, collaboration, and resources to do great work. Start building your peer network now.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/benelux.vps.buzztestserver.co.uk\/en\/resources\/4-ways-to-strengthen-your-peer-relationships-and-become-more-effective\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"4 Ways to Strengthen Your Peer Relationships (and Become More Effective)\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By cultivating a strong peer network, you can secure the information, collaboration, and resources to do great work. Start building your peer network now.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/benelux.vps.buzztestserver.co.uk\/en\/resources\/4-ways-to-strengthen-your-peer-relationships-and-become-more-effective\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"FranklinCovey\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-09-04T09:02:44+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/benelux.vps.buzztestserver.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/4-ways-to-strengthen-your-peer-relationships.png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/benelux.vps.buzztestserver.co.uk\\\/en\\\/resources\\\/4-ways-to-strengthen-your-peer-relationships-and-become-more-effective\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/benelux.vps.buzztestserver.co.uk\\\/en\\\/resources\\\/4-ways-to-strengthen-your-peer-relationships-and-become-more-effective\\\/\",\"name\":\"4 Ways to Strengthen Your Peer Relationships | FranklinCovey\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/benelux.vps.buzztestserver.co.uk\\\/en\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/benelux.vps.buzztestserver.co.uk\\\/en\\\/resources\\\/4-ways-to-strengthen-your-peer-relationships-and-become-more-effective\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/benelux.vps.buzztestserver.co.uk\\\/en\\\/resources\\\/4-ways-to-strengthen-your-peer-relationships-and-become-more-effective\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/benelux.vps.buzztestserver.co.uk\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/03\\\/4-ways-to-strengthen-your-peer-relationships.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-03-07T11:27:24+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-09-04T09:02:44+00:00\",\"description\":\"By cultivating a strong peer network, you can secure the information, collaboration, and resources to do great work. Start building your peer network now.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/benelux.vps.buzztestserver.co.uk\\\/en\\\/resources\\\/4-ways-to-strengthen-your-peer-relationships-and-become-more-effective\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/benelux.vps.buzztestserver.co.uk\\\/en\\\/resources\\\/4-ways-to-strengthen-your-peer-relationships-and-become-more-effective\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/benelux.vps.buzztestserver.co.uk\\\/en\\\/resources\\\/4-ways-to-strengthen-your-peer-relationships-and-become-more-effective\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/benelux.vps.buzztestserver.co.uk\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/03\\\/4-ways-to-strengthen-your-peer-relationships.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/benelux.vps.buzztestserver.co.uk\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/03\\\/4-ways-to-strengthen-your-peer-relationships.png\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/benelux.vps.buzztestserver.co.uk\\\/en\\\/resources\\\/4-ways-to-strengthen-your-peer-relationships-and-become-more-effective\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/benelux.vps.buzztestserver.co.uk\\\/en\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Resources\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/benelux.vps.buzztestserver.co.uk\\\/en\\\/resources\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"4 Ways to Strengthen Your Peer Relationships (and Become More Effective)\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/benelux.vps.buzztestserver.co.uk\\\/en\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/benelux.vps.buzztestserver.co.uk\\\/en\\\/\",\"name\":\"FranklinCovey\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/benelux.vps.buzztestserver.co.uk\\\/en\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"4 Ways to Strengthen Your Peer Relationships | FranklinCovey","description":"By cultivating a strong peer network, you can secure the information, collaboration, and resources to do great work. Start building your peer network now.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/benelux.vps.buzztestserver.co.uk\/en\/resources\/4-ways-to-strengthen-your-peer-relationships-and-become-more-effective\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"4 Ways to Strengthen Your Peer Relationships (and Become More Effective)","og_description":"By cultivating a strong peer network, you can secure the information, collaboration, and resources to do great work. Start building your peer network now.","og_url":"https:\/\/benelux.vps.buzztestserver.co.uk\/en\/resources\/4-ways-to-strengthen-your-peer-relationships-and-become-more-effective\/","og_site_name":"FranklinCovey","article_modified_time":"2024-09-04T09:02:44+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/benelux.vps.buzztestserver.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/4-ways-to-strengthen-your-peer-relationships.png","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/benelux.vps.buzztestserver.co.uk\/en\/resources\/4-ways-to-strengthen-your-peer-relationships-and-become-more-effective\/","url":"https:\/\/benelux.vps.buzztestserver.co.uk\/en\/resources\/4-ways-to-strengthen-your-peer-relationships-and-become-more-effective\/","name":"4 Ways to Strengthen Your Peer Relationships | FranklinCovey","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/benelux.vps.buzztestserver.co.uk\/en\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/benelux.vps.buzztestserver.co.uk\/en\/resources\/4-ways-to-strengthen-your-peer-relationships-and-become-more-effective\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/benelux.vps.buzztestserver.co.uk\/en\/resources\/4-ways-to-strengthen-your-peer-relationships-and-become-more-effective\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/benelux.vps.buzztestserver.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/4-ways-to-strengthen-your-peer-relationships.png","datePublished":"2023-03-07T11:27:24+00:00","dateModified":"2024-09-04T09:02:44+00:00","description":"By cultivating a strong peer network, you can secure the information, collaboration, and resources to do great work. Start building your peer network now.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/benelux.vps.buzztestserver.co.uk\/en\/resources\/4-ways-to-strengthen-your-peer-relationships-and-become-more-effective\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/benelux.vps.buzztestserver.co.uk\/en\/resources\/4-ways-to-strengthen-your-peer-relationships-and-become-more-effective\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/benelux.vps.buzztestserver.co.uk\/en\/resources\/4-ways-to-strengthen-your-peer-relationships-and-become-more-effective\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/benelux.vps.buzztestserver.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/4-ways-to-strengthen-your-peer-relationships.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/benelux.vps.buzztestserver.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/4-ways-to-strengthen-your-peer-relationships.png"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/benelux.vps.buzztestserver.co.uk\/en\/resources\/4-ways-to-strengthen-your-peer-relationships-and-become-more-effective\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/benelux.vps.buzztestserver.co.uk\/en\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Resources","item":"https:\/\/benelux.vps.buzztestserver.co.uk\/en\/resources\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"4 Ways to Strengthen Your Peer Relationships (and Become More Effective)"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/benelux.vps.buzztestserver.co.uk\/en\/#website","url":"https:\/\/benelux.vps.buzztestserver.co.uk\/en\/","name":"FranklinCovey","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/benelux.vps.buzztestserver.co.uk\/en\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/benelux.vps.buzztestserver.co.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/resources\/26595","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/benelux.vps.buzztestserver.co.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/resources"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/benelux.vps.buzztestserver.co.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/resources"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/benelux.vps.buzztestserver.co.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26595"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}