As the year comes to a close, our team is reflecting on the year we’ve had and what we’ve learned. 2024 was a year focused on relationships; building deeper relationships across BTS, with each other, and with our clients.

With that in mind, we’re sharing a few resources this month that support some reflection on our relationships and ask important questions about how leaders can maximize the impact of their relationships:

• Collaborative Relationships: Sometimes, it can feel like the best way to nurture relationships across a team or cross functionally is through another meeting. But what if the answer to collaborative relationships was actually spending less time together? The top 10% of workers who know how to work with others intentionally and effectively gain back 18-24% of their time—a full workday each week—and are happier people living more fulfilling lives. Here’s your guide to becoming a precision collaborator: TED Talk and book, Beyond Collaboration Overload by Rob Cross.

• Professional Network Relationships: Gallup’s employee engagement survey asks the infamous question, “Do you have a best friend at work?” There are relationships that we are required to build in our day-to-day work and others that challenge us, help us learn and think differently, and sustain us. The short exercise recommended in this HBR article provides a framework for thinking about what relationships to invest in for 2025.

We hope you find these resources as helpful to year-end reflection as we did.

Looking ahead to 2025, we have some exciting things planned, including a Fireside Chat on January 22, 2025 at 1 pm EST with Jennifer Porter, SVP, Partner, and Global Head of Executive Coaching at BTS and Greg Smith, CEO and President of Teradyne. We hope you can join this conversation on why Greg is “all-in” on transition coaching for his senior leaders and why he’s leaned into executive coaching to maximize the results he’s accountable for. Register here.

Wishing you and yours a restful holiday season full of connection.