Allies, Acquaintances and Alliances.

I have been thinking recently about work relationships.  There are three main positive categories that I can think of.  Those categories are -

• Allies,
• Acquaintances and
• Alliances.

These are three different groups of people that we interact with everyday while at work.

• Allies are your close circle of friends or those in whom you know you can trust.  Those whom you interact with and are friendly with.
• Acquaintances are those people whom you know and occasionally (sometimes frequently work with but wouldn't necessarily classify as a friend.
• Alliances are those relationships whereby your allies choose to stand with you when it comes to the crunch.  You can also from alliances with your acquaintances from time to time but generally the relationships with your allies are the ones that will stand the test of time.

So what does this have to do with the everyday manager?  It is important to know who is on your side and when.  It is also important to know who will stand with you should the pressure come on you through time restrictions, employment issues or personality clashes.

You don't have to classify everyone you know but if you do know who you allies are - you can save a lot of time when it comes to finding solutions to the problems you might face.

Here is my quick suggestion -

1. Make a list of all the people that you work with.  This can be as narrow or as broad as you like.
2. Seperate those people into two groups - allies and acquaintances.
3. Draw connecting lines betwen those people whom you a) already have alliances with and b) could choose to form alliances with.
4. Make a plan to communicate with your allies as much as you can when the correct work situation or opportunity arises.

If you spend the energy to foster grea relationships your allies and your alliances will help you when you need them.   (Image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/greentea/508815606/)