Members of the Remarkable Leadership Learning Systemare focusing on the skill of Nurturing Relationships all this month. In our teleseminar on Monday I explored differences between the words building and nurturing and why those differences matter when thinking aobut relationships, especially as a leader.
When we build something we form or construct or assemble it. When I think of these words I think of the assembly instructions that come with something you buy at the home improvement or toy store.
But when you nurture something, you support, encourage and help it to grow. Here, I think plant or garden – and water, fertilizer, sunlight and more.
For me, I’d rather have someone nourish or feed (the root words of nurture) a relationship with me than to construct or assemble it.
Is this playing with words? Perhaps a little. But I believe the difference is real. When we think about relationships as living and breathing organisms, rather than things, we will treat them differently; I believe better.
When we as leaders think about this difference, and take action on it, we will reap a harvest of better relationships – an important outcome in many ways.
What do you think? How does this difference in language inform you about the ways you can strengthen your working relationships?
Whether you build or nurture relationships depends, in part, on your purpose for doing either. But, why not do both.
It is relatively easy to develop (build) relationships of mutual trust and respect with most people, one-to-one, in about 20 minutes. Building and/or nurturing that kind of relationship with a large number of people is much more difficult.