Nowadays, work is all about relationships

Getting things done depends on getting along. And when relationships are difficult, it’s not just our work that suffers: it’s often our health and wellbeing too.

Making Relationships Work at Work is the first book to cover comprehensively all the main components of building and maintaining great relationships at work.

Based on 50 years’ experience of working with a wide variety of organisations, teams and individuals and packed with practical strategies, tips and tools for making work relationships work better, it will not only help you to become more effective with less stress, but also to enjoy your working life more.

I thought this was a really useful book. The style worked so well for me – short chapters, in built reflection and questioning, recommendations for further reading at the end. I’m not sure it told me anything new but it did cover a lot of ground quickly.
I particularly enjoyed the chapters on mindset and giving feedback – and the importance of active listening. The inclusion of practical exercises was super useful. It’s the kind of book where I’ll absolutely go back and read particular chapters. I liked that it made you think about who you communicate with effectively – for me it’s definitely my internal colleagues rather than external.
The chapter on virtual teams was particularly relevant right now as many of us have to work from home. Good to know I’ve been doing some useful things for my team!
Overall a neat and tidy guide to work relationships.

NetGalley

Helpful and practical guidance about relationship builders like emotional intelligence, active listening, and influencing. No new theories or unusual techniques, but thoughtfully collected and well-presented information, with listed sources for deeper research as needed.. Links to toolkits and resources. Timely and specific guidance on virtual relationships and strengthening remote relationships. Useful refresher for anyone at any career stage; recommended for anyone entering the workplace.

NetGalley

I received a digital copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
What an amazing book! I can say that I’m honestly impressed by the quality of the content. It took me a while to finish because it was heavy on information that I needed to revisit and think about. The author himself recommends pausing for reflection, as it is a very pragmatic book that requires you to apply certain notions to your own situation. Knowledge of the technique in this case is nothing without implementation.
I can confirm that this book was designed to make your working week more enjoyable, productive and fulfilling through building great relationships. It teaches you this by exploring many angles of relationships in the professional setting. I could say that it’s a great material for HRs and Learning & Development Professionals who are responsible to guide others professionally.
From the book description, I was aiming at improving my interpersonal skills, which to me professionally have always been challenging to navigate, even with my work experience in the hospitality industry where you have to often deal with multiple types of people whether you intend to or not. Structured from building the foundations to succeeding in special circumstances, I can confirm that the author walked me by the hand through the whys and whens, dos and don’ts in a succint and efficient manner that I’ve not encountered in other resources.
Some of the topics you’ll encounter are personality tests, trust, self-limiting beliefs, delegation, listening, feedback vs. criticism, communication types and many more. At the end of each chapter there are nice exercises and suggested tools coupled with references, which I liked instead of having all the references just piled up at the end of the book.
All in all, a great read that will definitely boost your relationship skills at work!

NetGalley

All you need to know about relationships and how make them work inside a company and, in my opinion, the book is useful in any business environment too. The structure is done well to cover the “how to” part from start to continuous improvement.

NetGalley

This is a great guide to navigating through relationships of all kinds at the workplace. I love that this book encompassed all levels of experience and hierarchies, as everyone from a high-level manager to an entry-level assistant could benefit from the information. The emphasis here is on collaboration, clear communication, and setting firm boundaries, as most relational breakdowns come from a lack of respect, trust, or clear expectations.

Fox gives great advice on how to manage relational breakdowns, as well as how to diffuse situations both internally and externally. Much of the research and advice here focuses on mindfulness and using CBT principals to understand how you often assume other people behave and think in the same way you do, which causes assumptions to be made that put relational distance between you and your manager/co-worker/boss that deteriorates the quality of the relationship and work environment.

Not your typical self-help book, anyone can benefit from reading this guide to making relationships work at work.

NetGalley

Extremely practical guide to making relationships work at work. Very timely in light of COVID crisis. Strongly recommended

amazon.co.uk

A really enjoyable, informative and timely read. It will stay on my ‘easy reach’ bookcase for years to come as no doubt I’ll want to refer back to it in the future!

amazon.co.uk

This book contains advice, tips and tools on the practical application of building effective relationships at work. It could easily form the basis of part of an induction process or other training to ensure highly effective teams. Very useful and easy to absorb and use in all life’s interactions.

Amazon.co.uk

‘Making Relationships Work at Work’ is a much-needed toolkit for the modern leader and manager. I wish I had had this book earlier in my career when I was ‘in the thick of it’ in several organisations around the world. Each chapter is short enough to capture the essentials of the point being made and long enough to provide useful models to try out with further references to look up later. There is so much help provided in this book for those tricky relationship situations we all experience in the workplace where we need to step back and reflect on the bigger picture, including our own actions and behaviour. I appreciate this book because it synergises so much of the author’s wide experience with an extensive knowledge of a wide variety of interpersonal business situations. Many of the character types that I have worked with appear in this book. Valuable and thought provoking suggestions are given about developing effective working relationships across the board. I shall be dipping into this toolkit regularly.

Amazon.co.uk

It takes some useful time to work through this book as it is so rich in ideas and techniques, that can be used not only at work but in every day life, on the journey towards a fuller one. Written by people with a wealth of experience, based on values that we need to be reminded of: respect, listening, empathy, kindness; that these are the basis of good business rather than bullying and power games.

Amazon.co.uk

Who better to guide us through into new territory than someone who has spent a lifetime navigating new pastures and different contexts? As we move into an uncertain time of potentially significant change, we need the wise counsel and the steady hand of someone like Richard. Think of this book as a handy reference book that you can dip into when a new situation arises. Use it and reflect, then use it again. This book is a gift to come back to again and again. – Bob Fyffe General Secretary, CTBI
Richard is a highly experienced businessman and executive coach. His book captures the essential dependency of an organisation’s success on the strength of its people relationships. I am thoroughly bought in to that way of thinking. – Fergal Roche, Founding CEO, The Key Support Services Ltd; Managing Director, Nobel Thinking Ltd
This book is based on a treasure of Richard’s experience of working with individuals and teams across the globe. In addition, he makes connections between topics that are normally treated as stand-alone subjects e.g. rapport, delegation, motivation, which adds to the usefulness of his book. It was a pleasure reading this toolkit and working with Richard. Together we achieved a lot. – Niek de Koning, Director Chemicals & Petrochemicals, Strategic Business Development, Bilfinger SE
The book provides support for a broad spectrum of people at different stages in their working lives – from new graduates, newly promoted line managers to very experienced managing directors. It has very useful exercises that you can either do yourself or use in an HR-led workshop environment. I will buy a copy for myself as well as for each of my four children! – Sarah Parker, NED, Former Managing Director of Surrey Satellite Technology Limited
This book is very timely as making relationships work will be one of the key issues we will need to focus on while our working structures, securities and beliefs are being challenged. The principles and tips in this practical book will enable young professionals to go through their working lives much more smoothly. As a seasoned professional I acquired many useful insights to apply in my work. This is an excellent toolkit and a great read and not just for someone interested in ‘making relationships work at work’. – Anke Neale, Head of Human Resources, MAKINO Europe GmbH
I cannot recommend this book too highly for anyone in – or contemplating being in – a leadership role. There are lots of books in this crowded marketplace trying to give wise counsel. In my view this is by far the most practical and capable of speedy implementation. If you read this book and try out some of the practical tips which it contains, I am confident that you will soon see some real, tangible benefits. – Ken Woffenden has held many senior leadership roles during his 40-year career in major legal practices

Richard Fox in his new publication ‘Making Relationships Work at Work – getting more done with less stress’ is a useful and practical book for those who are looking to freshen up their work practices. There is also a bit of a clue in the title, it’s about helping all of us to be less stressed and more in tune with our colleagues, and able to make our work place a creative and productive space. There are lots of practical examples of how things can go wrong that will appeal to anyone who is used to reflective learning. Don’t we all know how organisations and meetings can be the worst experiences of our lives. Richard is utterly practical, and the solutions are equally grounded in actual experience. As he says, this is probably the first book that moves through the foundations to more detailed engagement around building effective relationships. What is obvious is that this book is written by a practitioner for practitioners. You get the question and the answer. If anything, there is too much ground covered. But it is clear that Richard is a mentor and coach, and this shines through the pages of the book. Gently encouraging here, guiding there, it is entirely focused on getting the reader through to the next stage. I was particularly drawn to the section on home working as we have all had to learn new and exciting things about the strengths as well as the weaknesses of home working. Here I think Richard is on the cusp of something new and exciting. As we have all endured the early days of a pandemic, we have all had to adjust to new ways of being in community and new ways of communicating. The principles that Richard suggests throughout this book should enable us to begin working in refreshed, but different ways. We need to go back and re-examine the assumptions we have made about our colleagues, our workplace and our way of working. What will be the new ‘new’? Who better to guide us through into new territory than someone who has spent a lifetime navigating new pastures and different contexts? As we move into an uncertain time of potentially significant change, we need the wise counsel and the steady hand of someone like Richard. Think of this book as a handy reference book that you can dip into when a new situation arises. Use it and reflect, then use it again. This book is a gift to come back to again and again. Bob Fyffe, General Secretary, CTBI

Richard is a highly experienced businessman and executive coach. His book captures the essential dependency of an organisation’s success on the strength of its people relationships. I am thoroughly bought in to that way of thinking. Fergal Roche, Founding CEO, The Key Support Services Ltd; Managing Director, Nobel Thinking Ltd

This book is based on a treasure of Richard’s experience of working with individuals and teams across the globe. In addition, he makes connections between topics that are normally treated as stand-alone subjects e.g. rapport, delegation, motivation, which adds to the usefulness of his book. It was a pleasure reading this toolkit and working with Richard. Together we achieved a lot. Niek de Koning, Director Chemicals & Petrochemicals, Strategic Business Development, Bilfinger SE
The book provides support for a broad spectrum of people at different stages in their working lives – from new graduates, newly promoted line managers to very experienced managing directors. It has very useful exercises that you can either do yourself or use in an HR-led workshop environment. I will buy a copy for myself as well as for each of my four children! Sarah Parker, NED, Former Managing Director of Surrey Satellite Technology Limited
This book is very timely as making relationships work will be one of the key issues we will need to focus on while our working structures, securities and beliefs are being challenged. The principles and tips in this practical book will enable young professionals to go through their working lives much more smoothly. As a seasoned professional I acquired many useful insights to apply in my work. This is an excellent toolkit and a great read, not just for someone interested in ‘making relationships work at work’. Anke Neale, Head of Human Resources, MAKINO Europe GmbH

I cannot recommend this book too highly for anyone in – or contemplating being in – a leadership role. There are lots of books in this crowded marketplace trying to give wise counsel. In my view this is by far the most practical and capable of speedy implementation. If you read this book and try out some of the practical tips which it contains, I am confident that you will soon see some real, tangible benefits.
Ken Woffenden, legal expert

About this book……………………………………………………… vii Part one: Building the foundations: the must haves………..1 1 It’s all about relationships……………………………………..3 2 The master builder lays the foundation stone: rapport and trust…………………………………………………15 3 Is it just me? Working with different personalities……………………………………………………….35 4 Mind-sets and relationships………………………………….55 5 Communicating from the inside out…………………….77 6 Listening heart and soul………………………………………99 Part two: Handling the everyday stuff……………………… 117 7 Things we haven’t talked about: how are we going to work together and what are our values? ……………………………………………………………..119 8 No-con, no-sham influencing…………………………….129 9 Getting going and keeping going: motivating myself and others………………………………………………147 10 My best self: making the most of my strengths…….161 11 The art of good feedback: feedback for learning………………………………………..175 12 How come I’m doing what you could be doing? Delegating without resentment………………………….197 Part three: Succeeding in special circumstances………… 211 13 Is there anybody out there? Working in a dispersed or virtual team……………………………………213 14 Ouch! That wasn’t nice! Handling challenging relationships……………………………………………………..227 15 The riches of diversity……………………………………….249 The stepping up toolkit……………………………………………..267 Conclusions…………………………………………………………. 271 Author’s biographical details………………………………….. 273

FORMAT / ISBN / PUBLICATION DATE / RRP

Paperback / 9781788601733 / June 30, 2020 / £15.99

Ebook / 9781788601726 / June 30, 2020 / £7.99

Paperback and eBook Bundle / £17.99

Richard Fox

Richard Fox was a partner in The Learning Corporation, a pan European firm of leadership coaches, facilitators and business mentors. He was a PCC credentialed coach with the International Coach Federation, a Master NLP practitioner and a member of the International Association for Coaching.

He helped create The Learning Corporation after a successful period as a partner with KPMG, having played a leading role with them in setting up an office and developing a thriving client base.

As a leadership coach Richard helped leaders and managers create and sustain an environment in which people can express themselves, optimise their potential and do their best work.

He was an experienced business mentor, facilitator and coach with specialist skills in the key areas of developing people in line with strategy; collaborative working, talent development, building strategic alliances, partnerships and structured networks.

As a master facilitator, Richard worked with organisations facilitating workshops on e.g. personal effectiveness, building networking capability, visioning, strategic thinking, managing change, leadership, coaching and mentoring, organisational learning, team working, creativity and innovation.

His previous book, Creating a Purposeful Life: How to reclaim your life, live more meaningfully and befriend time, was published by Infinite Ideas in June 2012.