Making Relationships Work at Work

A toolkit for getting more done with less stress

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Pub Date 30 Jun 2020 | Archive Date 09 Jul 2020

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Description

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.

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...


Advance Praise

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  



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...


Available Editions

EDITION Other Format
ISBN 9781788601733
PRICE $19.99 (USD)
PAGES 292

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Average rating from 6 members


Featured Reviews

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.

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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.

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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!

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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.

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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.

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