As anyone can tell you, there is a stark difference between managers and leaders. A manager tells people what to do, while a leader inspires them to do the job the best they can. A manager uses their head, while a leader uses a variety of skills and traits. And, perhaps the biggest contrast between the two: A manager has employees. A leader has followers.

One of the most significant aspects of leadership is in developing meaningful relationships with the team. This skill that was once hardly considered a priority has become a signature of strong, authentic leaders. If you recognize the importance of having deep-rooted relationships with your team but aren’t sure how to get there, you’ve come to the right place. Here are our top five ways to build a rapport with your team.

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Leadership gurus and business coaches each have their own unique styles. One of the few consistent threads is that they all stress the importance of building meaningful relationships. Whether through networking with industry peers outside of your company or establishing a trusting relationship with employees, developing a strong rapport is essential. And when it comes to how to do this, both networking and relationship-building with employees have a lot in common.

We recently came across a piece titled “Three types of building rapport for a successful networking” that really resonated with us. Read on as we explore those three types further.

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When it comes to conversations within the utility industry, safety is at the top of the list. It’s one of those things that has always been universally accepted as critically important. For utility leadership that wants to keep safety at the forefront, the answer can be found in proper messaging. Or in this case, building and maintaining a culture predicated on employees’ willingness to buy into safety compliance. Keep reading to learn more about the messaging methods you should be deploying to encourage a utility-wide culture of safety. 

Related: On Board With a Safety Culture? 5 Tips To Make it Stick

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In general, utility activities are process-oriented. Employees turn on and off service, make repairs, perform preventive maintenance, and collect payments. This work follows a step-by-step system with a series of boxes to check. Another, vastly different kind of utility work also follows specific steps in a particular order. Project procurement management is an important function for utilities hoping to secure new work and build industry relationships.

The crux of procurement management seems simple enough. Plan out purchases, evaluate vendors that offer those goods or services, select a vendor, and then monitor the implementation. Here are some tips and tricks that can be deployed to set the utility up for success. Read on as we talk about how to win in project procurement.

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Customer service is a complicated aspect for any business. Historically, it has been especially complicated for those in the utility space. According to a Utility Digital Experience Study published by J.D. Power in 2018, part of the problem is that the industry has historically lagged behind others in terms of utilizing digital technology to the fullest. This fact once contributed to low customer satisfaction scores. A recent evolution among many utilities has led to the prioritization of improved customer experiences. Utilities have made it clear that they aren’t afraid of using technology to do it.

Still, maximizing the value of any software solution takes a concerted effort that starts with a comprehensive onboarding campaign. Here are our top five tips for getting the most out of software training for your customer service team.

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The most successful organizations are those that promote a culture of helping others before themselves. This type of approach has a number of names, from “service-first” to “others-focused,” but the intent always remains the same. It requires a consistent, top-down effort across the organization, with employees all rallying behind this single mission.

While most organizations claim to focus on the needs of the customer, those needs are not always easy. However, by deploying an others-focused service culture, you can be sure that your customers get exactly what they need. Here are five ways to develop an others-focused service culture.

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There was a time when “choice” and “utilities” were two words that seldom intersected. Today, that’s hardly the case as the exploration of new types of power generation have opened up the marketplace. Those newfound options have given customers power. Utilities should address that power and provide a customer experience rather than traditional customer service. This shift can help match new expectations and needs.

In response, utilities have upped the ante on customer service strategies to show customers that they care. That they want to be the provider of choice. If doubling down on customer service is something your utility wants to do better, the tips we’ve drafted below might be helpful. Check out these five ways utilities can make customer service a pillar of their organization.

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According to a 2019 survey conducted by Microsoft, 90% of Americans consider customer service a factor when deciding if they want to do business with a company. It turns out “the customer is always right” is as true today as it was 50 years ago.

While that theory may still apply, one big change between then and now is that customers have access to more communication technologies. Unhappy customers can freely — and publicly — voice their displeasure. On the flip side, brands can also use that same technology to actively solicit customer feedback. They can create customer service surveys to identify and fix isolated issues before they become systemic problems.

Read on as we go into greater detail on the top three benefits for utilities who send customer service surveys.

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With the pandemic in effect, companies in a wide variety of industries already knew that managing a remote workforce can be challenging. How does leadership maintain a strong company culture and keep employees motivated? Regardless of the industry or workforce, the main focus for successful remote work should be communication.

In this post, we’ll look closer at how a solid communication strategy can lead to remote workforce success. Here are the five best practices for building relationships among your remote team.

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If there’s one reason why workplace relationships matter, it’s that full-time employees likely spend more hours with their coworkers than they do with their own families. But the reality is that there are a lot of reasons why workplace relationships matter.  Including the impact on operations and productivity.

In a field like utilities, partnerships and collaboration are often instrumental to success. It’s always a fruitful exercise to explore getting the most out of those relationships. Here are a few significant ways that inter-team relationships affect projects. Also, learn what you can do to mitigate and address any that hurt the business.

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