Relational Engagement

Strategy Execution by Design Series

Lever 1: Trust & Leadership
Element 5: Relational Engagement

When was the last time a project in your organisation stalled, not because of the plan, but because people couldn't work together?

When strategy slows, we usually look at poor planning, unclear priorities, or a lack of resources first. Yes, those things definitely matter. But here's what I keep seeing: execution often comes down to something much simpler - how well people actually relate to each other.

Projects get stuck because two leaders have stopped talking. Decisions sit in limbo because departments are guarding their territory. Work crawls along not because people aren't trying, but because they're not really connecting. 

Execution travels at the speed of relationships.

Strong relationships don't just happen on their own - they grow from the trust and psychological safety I talked about in my last post. I'm not talking about being best friends with your colleagues. I mean the kind of trust, openness, and mutual reliance that determines how fast people share information, tackle problems together, and actually get decisions made.

Cross & Parker's research into organisational networks reveals an interesting finding: high performers aren't just technically sound, they're well connected across the organisation. Cândido & Santos found that collaboration and relational trust matter just as much as having good processes and structure. 

When I dug into this in my own research, execution effectiveness took a nosedive wherever relationships were siloed or tense. Leaders kept telling me about cross-functional friction, unnecessary escalations, and delays stemming from weak connections rather than weak plans.

Here's the thing though: relationships don't just "happen" - leaders set the tone. When leaders hunker down in their own areas, everyone else does too. When leaders demonstrate trust, remain open, and effectively manage conflict, it strengthens the entire network around them.

So, what can leaders actually do differently today?
- Show the kind of cross-functional connections you want others to build.
- Take a look at your network - who do you depend on most, and who's depending on you?
- Push for peer-to-peer collaboration and celebrate team wins, not just individual achievements.
- Deal with conflict early - letting it sit makes things worse.
- Create room for actual human connection - shared meals, regular check-ins, those informal moments where trust actually builds.

Because execution doesn't move at the pace of your project plan. It moves at the pace of your relationships, which is really what Leadership & Trust in my Execution by Design series is all about.

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