Leading a team is challenging, especially when it feels like you’re constantly putting out fires. While results are crucial, it’s relationships that truly drive success. Too often we hit the snooze button on the most vital part of our business — our people.

Courtney Ramsey, leadership development consultant and author of “Share Your Genius: 35 Tips to Create Training That Transforms,” says that 95 percent of the issues you face as a leader at work — conflict, low morale, turnover, etc. — are caused by two things: a lack of communication and a lack of relationships.

“Think about what could actually happen if we fixed the poor communication and the lack of relationships,” Ramsey said at the Women in Retail On the Road event in Dallas earlier this fall. “Imagine a team that’s actually performing at all levels and doing what we want them to do.”

Ramsey suggests three ways to solve for these issues:

1. Balance ambiguity and uncertainty with truth.

As leaders, it’s important to be truthful and transparent when it comes to conflict and change. As human beings, Ramsey said we default to negative pretty quickly. When a company is undergoing change, it’s easy to think of the worst-case scenario. However, you can train yourself to look at what’s on the other side of that fear.

“I want to encourage you to ask yourself and your team, ‘What else is possible?'” said Ramsey. “Your team wants you to acknowledge that things are hard.”

2. Lead with vulnerability and strength.

Ramsey said it’s possible to be vulnerable and still show your strength. Admit what you don’t know and highlight what you do know.

“I’m a big believer that strength and vulnerability are not mutually exclusive,” Ramsey told the audience, adding that the best boss she ever worked for would tell her when she was having a bad day, and it made Ramsey feel like a partner in the company.

Ramsey suggests showing vulnerability in baby steps — e.g., testing it out with a peer or colleague you trust, allowing yourself to be a bit more authentic with them.

3. Empower your teams.

Ramsey said the best development you can give your team is by taking things off of your plate and delegating them in a way that lets team members learn that skill in a safe environment.

There are exceptions, of course. There’s always going to be things you can’t delegate because if it goes wrong, there will be trouble. Or you could be short-staffed and if you put one more thing on your employee’s plate, he/she will crack.

So ask yourself: Are those things really true or is that just the story you’re telling yourself? If you’re holding back on delegating, who are you protecting?

“Remember that delegation means you’re empowering someone,” advised Ramsey. “When you empower someone, it’s like giving them a gold star. You’re building trust. You’re saying, ‘I believe in you.’ That leads to stronger relationships.”

This article was originally published by Women in Retail Leadership Circle, sister brand of Women Leading Travel & Hospitality.