23 | Building Camaraderie for Large Organizations Part 2

Welcome back. Today we’re going to talk about one specific practice that can transform your approach in relationships across large teams!

Real success in leadership isn't about being the most connected person in the room. It's about seeing your team carry forward the culture and mission without you—not doing the same things you do, but pursuing the mission in the same culture you've built together.

I recently came across this concept from the book Tribal Leadership that completely changed how I think about building relationships at scale. The authors describe two types of relationship patterns that leaders create: dyads and triads.

A dyad is a two-person relationship—the classic one-on-one connection. And look, these are important! Building individual rapport matters. But here's the limitation: if you're always at the center of every relationship, you become the bottleneck. You can only scale as far as your own capacity to connect.

Now, a triad is a three-person connection—and this is where the magic happens. Leaders who build triads are constantly helping two other people connect with each other. Instead of being the hub of every relationship wheel, they're creating connections that exist independent of them.

Think about it this way: If you introduce Sarah from product to Marcus from sales, and you help them understand how their work intersects and why they should collaborate, you've just created a relationship that doesn't require you to maintain it. They can now support each other, share ideas, and build camaraderie without you in the middle.

This is a superpower in building organizational camaraderie.

Yes, leaders who can build strong rapport with their team members—that's great. But leaders who can help their team members build rapport and camaraderie with each other? Even better! That's how culture multiplies.

So here's my challenge to you: In your next team meeting, in your next cross-functional project, in your next casual conversation—don't just think about the connection you're building with each person. Think about what connections you can facilitate between others.

Who on your team should know each other but doesn't? Who has complementary skills or shared interests that could spark a meaningful working relationship? Who could benefit from each other's perspective or support?

When you shift from building dyads to building triads, you're not just creating a team—you're creating a network. And that network can carry your culture and mission far beyond what any single leader could do alone.