How to Build Rapport with Your Team When You’re a New Manager

Everyone tells you how important it is to understand your role and its challenges in the first 30, 60, or 90 days. People advise you to spend time understanding the key challenges of the role. What they forget to tell you is how important it is to first build a rapport with the team that you will lead. This becomes all the more important when you’re managing a team you haven’t worked with before. How do you break the ice and get the relationship going?

Build Rapport

Many team leaders interact with the team only when they have to allocate a task or review progress on a project, not realizing that the value of non-work-related conversations is immense. It helps strengthen the bond between the manager and the employee. Gallup’s research has repeatedly shown that employees value communication from their manager not just about their roles and responsibilities but also about what happens in their lives outside of work.Lunch time is a great opportunity to connect with the team members and to get to know them as individuals. As a coach I have often been asked this question, “How can I go about building a rapport with my team and what conversations can I have with someone I barely know?” Here are a few tips that you can use.

Extend the invite

You could either walk over to your colleagues’ desk or send him or her an email. While some may argue that an email is a great way to go about setting up a meeting (instead of an impromptu invite), I’d say that there is no harm in walking over and asking your colleague to join you for lunch. This could be a great starting point in building that personal connect. If you’re hesitant or unsure of what to say, try, “I was going over to the cafeteria get some lunch. If it’s okay with you, would you like to join me?”If you work in a company with a more traditional work culture, you could send the invitation over an email and extend the invite for a casual working lunch instead.

Do your homework

Before you head out to lunch, take some time to learn a little about the colleague. Discovering common areas of interest and using that as a starting point could be a great icebreaker. This is not an opportunity to stalk your colleague. Use networking sites like LinkedIn to help you find common areas of interest. You may discover that you grew up in the same neighborhood or went to the same school or have a passion for travel. Medium is another great platform to search for any articles the colleague may have published. If the article genuinely strikes a chord with you, you may want to talk about how they came across that idea or what inspired them to write the article.

If the colleague seems uncomfortable

Depending on how your colleague reacts to non-work-related questions, you may want to steer the conversation towards some ‘light’ work-related questions. Ask your team member about the moments that they found most fulfilling at work. What kind of projects has he or she been working on? What were the best moments on that project or any challenges they found particularly exciting. You could ask what they aspire to learn in the near future or if they are taking some interesting online courses to upskill. Knowing the special skills the team members have and what they aspire to learn is a powerful way for the new manager to leverage the team.

Don’t forget to tell them about yourself

Communication and conversations are always a two-way street. While you ask them questions, don’t forget to tell them a little something about yourself too. Sharing some life-defining incidents that have shaped your work philosophy can help set expectations with the new team in a subtle way.If you work in a culture where asking a colleague out for lunch may seem ‘out-of-the-ordinary’, these tips can help you strike a conversation when you find an opportunity; in the hallway, passing by their desk, near the coffee machine, or even in the elevator. Take the time to connect with your team members and it will go a long way in building a strong team.What is the most effective thing you have done to build rapport with a team when joined? Love to know your suggestions... Thanks==========First published by HBR Ascend on March 21, 2018