Building Relationships with Departments and Leaders By William Miller Miller Consulting

Communication The Door to Success has many locks. Requiring many different keys. One of the more important keys is the ability to: Communicate

Communication The longer government budget challenges continue, the greater the need for leaders to be engaged and to find new and better ways to communicate and interact. When navigating their departments through these difficult economic times, smart government executives are placing a priority on communicating to their constituents, leaders, and employees. Being proactive not only will earn the trust and confidence of these key audiences, it will pay off on the bottom line, too. Miller ConsultantsMiller Consultants

Relationships In today’s volatile and ever challenging government environments, you have to build successful work relationships and interact with people in a positive way to achieve your organizational goals. You create better work relationships by becoming a “conscious communicator.” Make communication a priority Miller ConsultantsMiller Consultants

Relationships Whatever your role, internal or external director, manager, team leader, or team member—your success is dependent upon your ability to nurture and develop relationships with others (both inside and outside of your organization). The days of resting on the laurels of previous projects or results once achieved are over. Today, your ability to build successful relationships directly impacts growth, and even job security. Miller ConsultantsMiller Consultants

Understand People Government is really a web of relationships, requiring all parties to work together in order to create something that is good. If you understand what people want and why they want it, you can usually find a way to make progress together. Respect is the foundation for a strong relationship and this means respecting yourself as well as others. When someone listens to you, both your own sense of worth and the worth of the listener increase. Miller ConsultantsMiller Consultants

Five Successful Communication Tips Communication survival means: Be liked Don't whine and complain Keep it professional at all times Don't make enemies or burn bridges Don't make others look bad Miller ConsultantsMiller Consultants

Manners Manners are the lubricating oil of an organization. It is a law of nature that two moving bodies in contact with each other create friction. This is as true for human beings as it is for inanimate objects. Manners-- simple things like saying “please” and “thank you” and knowing a person's name or asking about their family, enable people to work together whether they like each other or not. If... work fails again and again as soon as cooperation from others is required, it probably indicates a lack of courtesy--that is, a lack of manners. Be Respectful! Miller ConsultantsMiller Consultants

SHARE THE SUCCESS Improve productivity, influence and reputation for high-level achievement when you focus on the things that matter most. Enhance your reputation as a confident leader by sharing recognition with others. You’ll boost morale, trust and teamwork, as well as opportunities for your advancement. Miller ConsultantsMiller Consultants

EXCEED EXPECTATIONS Be proactive and look for strengths and opportunities where others aren’t looking. Champion innovative improvements where you see weaknesses or room for improvement. Always look for opportunities to complement “Motivate” others – Rather than being critical and pointing out mistakes and weaknesses. Be a confident, self-developed leader, don’t be intimidated by failures or self-imposed limitations. Miller ConsultantsMiller Consultants

New Ideas One very important area that sometimes becomes neglected is “bringing new ideas to life”. A benefit of bringing new ideas to life is that your visibility can be tied to the project, increasing your exposure and possibly for advancement. Gain buy-in from others on why your idea or project needs to be embraced. Miller ConsultantsMiller Consultants

Ideas Taking a fundamentally fresh look at how a new idea, or initiative you want created needs to be promoted in the correct way. Build a solid case that clearly shows why the opportunity is beneficial. You'll want to come up with simple, direct, to-the-point messages that give the precise reason, benefit, and advantage for others to accept this new initiative or idea Miller ConsultantsMiller Consultants

Selling your Ideas MOST THINGS IN BUSINESS COMES DOWN TO SELLING/MARKETING It is important to get others to embrace the new idea or project. You must make sure you clearly explain who it's for and how it directly benefits them. When discussing benefits, explain results and show how it actually works. Miller ConsultantsMiller Consultants

Point of View The most effective way to get someone to see your point of view is to see their point of view ? What are their concerns and needs? What roles do they play and how does this new idea affect their position. Many government departments and agencies sometimes have strict sets of rules, regulations, and policies. However, there are always exceptions. Don't just assume that a department or leader isn't willing to work with you or see your point of view on a mutually satisfactory resolution. Miller ConsultantsMiller Consultants

Doing more with Less In government today having to do more with less and with hectic schedules, heavy workloads, focusing on building relationships and keeping your eyes and ears open for new opportunities may fall to the wayside. You must focus some time and energy to gain momentum in the following areas: Establishing Credibility Building Your Relationships Understanding Business Needs and Goals Delivering Results Provide Exceptional Service Share your experiences and be open to new ones! Miller ConsultantsMiller Consultants

Thank you! Miller Consultants