As we all know, humans are unique and complicated. We have individual talents, different stressors, competing personal and work responsibilities, personal traits, different approaches to work, and more. To be successful at work, we need to know how to navigate the uniqueness of our colleagues to ensure we work effectively together.

To build strong, collaborative relationships from the start, we need to understand different work styles and human traits, our organization’s functional area responsibilities, and natural cross-department tensions. We also need to be masterful at conducting relationship check-ins to ensure they stay on track. And if we disagree with a colleague, we need to take the initiative and have a conversation to get the relationship back on track quickly.