The E of A.C.H.I.E.V.E. stands for Effective relationships. Peter Andreou analyzes some ideas that we need to implement for more Effective relationships.

How effective we are in our relationships, determines our success as executives and managers.  There is always room for improvement in the way we manage our relationships, whether it is professional or on a personal basis.

The critical point is to be able to assess what somebody needs from you and how you are able to support and help them. The expectation is that they in turn will help you.
How much you invest in the relationship is determined of course, by who the person is.  Maybe there is no limit to how much you invest in somebody you love.  However you may put a maximum limit on the effort of building a relationship with a colleague or fellow team member. Your relationship building efforts are dependent on how much response you get!

The approach that yields the best results is one where we are proactive and create a specific strategy for improving our relationships. The first step is to identify the real key stakeholders for us, and to see who we would like to improve our relationship with.

There are a number of key relationships that determine our success at work.
The first relationship is the one with your manager.  Needless to say this is critical to achieve the maximum results.

The manager: An effective way to manage the relationship with your manager is to have a very clear picture of what his expectations are of you.  If you can also create a relationship where you can share your expectations of him, then this is ideal.  It is called an Expectations Contract.

Your team: The same applies with your team; that is to discuss with them exactly what you expect from them.  Most of the problems that occur at work stem from the fact that there is a miscommunications problem or misunderstanding.  Clarifying communications is the key to being an effective executive.  Assuming that other people know what to expect, is one of the biggest mistakes we can make as a manager.

The surrounding people/environment: To a lesser extent, you need to be clear on the image that you wish to project to the rest of the people around you.  The most successful projection is the one where your internal picture matches what you are trying to communicate.  If you try to pretend to be something that you're not, then people at a subconscious level will pick that up. So develop your personal brand to be close to your internal values.

Key stages are:
1. Identify the group of stakeholders that are important to you
2. Proactively identify the picture that you wish to have with each group
3. Create an action plan to actively communicate and encourage the relationship you desire

In summary what we need to do is to create a proactive and planned relationship building programme, with specific goals in mind that we actively work on in each interaction or relationship transaction. If you are interested in finding out more about this I am writing a book and would be happy to send you my chapter on effective relationships. Just send me an e-mail on peter@peterandreou.com