Manage Relationships—No Matter Your Title

Whatever your current position in your organization, I would suggest that you—right here, right now—make the decision to become a chief relationship officer.

A chief relationship officer (CRO) is not a single position one must apply for, but a position for everyone. And in order to be a great CEO, CFO, COO or C-anything, you need to be a great CRO first.

According to Gallup research, the No. 1 predictor of success is the quality of your relationships—both professional and personal. For the most part, people don’t quit their jobs—they quit their bosses. If you don’t become a true CRO, you’ll start seeing your top talent exit faster than bed bugs off a burning mattress.

Here are a few steps you can take to become a CRO today:

Get to know your people as people. Find out who they are, what they are passionate about and what drives them. You will not be able to create fierce loyalty in today’s workforce with old-school exchanges. Push past your comfort zone.

Reveal who you are. Be authentic and share your passions. This may seem odd for those trained to keep people at a distance, but authentic vulnerability is now a strength: It humanizes you and gives people a reason to connect.

Discover what it takes. Find what each member of your team needs to realize you recognize and appreciate them. Give it to them the way they want it, rather than the way you do.

Master communication. Some say people fear public speaking more than death, but they may fear conflict even more. A great CRO embraces “healthy conflict” because it creates clarity, empathy, compassion and ultimately deep bonds.

Commit to ongoing and deepening levels of self-awareness. It’s much harder to be reactive when you know what your own triggers are. Emotional intelligence is not something to use on others until we apply it to ourselves.

Dõv Baron is a leadership and corporate cultural strategist. This article is adapted with permission from his latest book, “Fiercely Loyal: How High Performing Companies Develop and Retain Top Talent.”