Leadership Is a Relationship Quotes

“As you confront the challenges of your life and our shared world, choose to walk with others.9 Our world's biggest problems need complex, technical, and coordinated solutions. We encourage you to discover those solutions by starting with a time-tested truth: other people matter. Let's meet new people, strengthen our bonds, and improve the world together.”
― Michael S. Erwin, Leadership is a Relationship: How to Put People First in the Digital World

“Use Everyday Reminders In his leadership coaching practice, co-author Mike uses a list of simple steps to remind people to prioritize relationships. We think that the list can benefit you, too: Communicate in person as much as possible. Praise in public, criticize in private. Donate to someone's cause or support their business. Put your phone away and be present with people. Redirect credit to others and assume responsibility for mistakes. Use the power of meals to connect. Manage expectations. These points are purposefully short. Experiment with them and learn how they're most relevant to your life and your leadership. As you practice them, feel free to edit the list and make it meaningful for you.”
― Michael S. Erwin, Leadership is a Relationship: How to Put People First in the Digital World

“Dr. Adam Grant, a prominent organizational psychologist: What I think people are asking is, “How much is too much to share about my feelings?” And that always leads me to this very simple sentence: vulnerability minus boundaries is not vulnerability. Are you sharing your emotions and your experiences to move work, connection, or a relationship forward? Or are you working your shit out with somebody? Work is not a place to do that.6 Some situations still call for steely resolve, especially from leaders. Your personality, group, and circumstances will determine what the right balance is for you, but stay attentive to how much vulnerability you are or aren't sharing with others. You might need to set boundaries and dial it back—or open up and allow people to engage with more of you.”
― Michael S. Erwin, Leadership is a Relationship: How to Put People First in the Digital World

“Appreciation of beauty and excellence Bravery Creativity Curiosity Enthusiasm Fairness Forgiveness Gratitude Humility Humor Integrity Kindness Leadership Love Love of learning Open-mindedness Optimism Perseverance Perspective Prudence Purpose Self-control Social intelligence Teamwork Using character-strength vocabulary means talking to and about people in a way that emphasizes their unique strengths.”
― Michael S. Erwin, Leadership is a Relationship: How to Put People First in the Digital World

“Choosing to Stay Old-fashioned as it may sound, we're confident that relationships are the most consistently underestimated tool for creating and maintaining stability in an organization—whether it's a family, a community, a school district, or a company. Cultures that treat people with dignity and bond their members with sincere, meaningful relationships simply have a better chance of surviving over time and avoiding rampant turnover. We long for connection. When we find it, we tend to value it immensely. There are certainly other factors that influence stability, particularly in the workplace. Great relationships won't make up for shamelessly underpaying employees (nor should they). They do, however, give leaders the best insight into what's working, what's not, and which actions might effectively address an organization's most fundamental problems. Relationships allow for better diagnoses and more specific solutions.”
― Michael S. Erwin, Leadership is a Relationship: How to Put People First in the Digital World

“Giving people permission to act like human beings is possible even in highly pressurized, high-attrition environments. Prioritizing relationship-building and decency is often the best way to counteract that kind of culture and create healthy stability amid chaos.”
― Michael S. Erwin, Leadership is a Relationship: How to Put People First in the Digital World

“Love shared between people is a powerful stabilizing force. Our relationships ground us in our commitments to each other, even as our circumstances become uncertain or quickly change.”
― Michael S. Erwin, Leadership is a Relationship: How to Put People First in the Digital World

“Relationships don't just encourage people to stay in a situation, job, or community. They also create a level of stability that nurtures growth for both individuals and the culture of the group.”
― Michael S. Erwin, Leadership is a Relationship: How to Put People First in the Digital World

“That culture gets passed down primarily through relationships. A recently hired superintendent in a nearby town asked Clarence what he should focus on to be successful in the job. The first things that came to Clarence's mind? Meet with the mayor once a month, meet with the police chief, meet with a committee of parents, meet with the district's principals. “It didn't have to do with the business of education. It had to do with relationships—it was all about relationships.”
― Michael S. Erwin, Leadership is a Relationship: How to Put People First in the Digital World

“Loyalty begets more relationships and connects otherwise disparate people. You might call this “networking,” but that's a bit too crude of a term for what's happening. Think of all the people you know and what you'd be willing to do for them. Surely there's a spectrum—you'd do more for your partner or best friend than for a casual acquaintance at work. Introducing a stranger to someone you know is risky. Without knowing the new person, it's impossible to predict what they'll ask of whomever you introduce them to. The ostensibly easy favor of connecting two people can become an embarrassing faux pas for you. As we build loyalty, though, this dynamic changes. Connecting the people in our lives stops being a potential threat to our reputation and becomes a powerful amplifier for both ourselves and all the people around us.”
― Michael S. Erwin, Leadership is a Relationship: How to Put People First in the Digital World

“Acts of loyalty pull people together and provide mutual support. They also inspire future generosity and loyalty toward others.”
― Michael S. Erwin, Leadership is a Relationship: How to Put People First in the Digital World

“Small, habitual gestures of care build trusting relationships over both time and distance.”
― Michael S. Erwin, Leadership is a Relationship: How to Put People First in the Digital World

“Commit to thinking of everyone as a leader, and talk accordingly.”
― Michael S. Erwin, Leadership is a Relationship: How to Put People First in the Digital World

“Relationships rooted in trust help people spend less time and energy justifying themselves, and more time doing meaningful work.”
― Michael S. Erwin, Leadership is a Relationship: How to Put People First in the Digital World

“Sometimes the greatest exercise of power is the choice to forgive rather than punish.”
― Michael S. Erwin, Leadership is a Relationship: How to Put People First in the Digital World

“Practicing forgiveness aligns it with many other leadership values. We take for granted that things like trust, accountability, and resilience are ongoing behaviors. You might do something that requires a lot of trust—like asking a friend to watch your children for a week when you're suddenly summoned out of town—or builds a lot of trust—like, well, successfully watching your friend's kids for a week. But these acts merely highlight the constant flow of trust in a relationship. Trust is a conviction, a feeling: it's moving between people all the time. We ought to think of forgiveness in exactly the same way. We shouldn't just save it for patching up relationship failures. If we commit to forgiveness as an ever-present element of our relationships, we can find a rich new way of supporting people throughout their lives”
― Michael S. Erwin, Leadership is a Relationship: How to Put People First in the Digital World

“Don't save forgiveness for one-off times when things go poorly. When we live our lives with a constant spirit of forgiveness, we empower ourselves and those around us to take bigger risks and act with greater conviction.”
― Michael S. Erwin, Leadership is a Relationship: How to Put People First in the Digital World

“Mature accountability isn't just about doing things to other people. An important part of becoming an accountable leader is practicing the self-discipline to listen to others—rather than broadcasting to them—and shape your own behaviors in a way that earns their respect and recommendation.”
― Michael S. Erwin, Leadership is a Relationship: How to Put People First in the Digital World

“The intimacy of a strong relationship gives us a better way to deliver messages that people don't want to hear.”
― Michael S. Erwin, Leadership is a Relationship: How to Put People First in the Digital World

“Great leaders tailor accountability to the nuances of both situation and person. Screaming matches are no match for intelligent, sensitive, and strategic coaching.”
― Michael S. Erwin, Leadership is a Relationship: How to Put People First in the Digital World

“She uses a teaching framework that her dad taught her growing up. For any task, someone either: Can't do it: “If you can't, that's a circumstance that needs to be addressed by our coaching staff. As coaches, we're obligated to fix it. We have to adjust for you,” Erica says. Won't do it: “If you won't, then you've got to fix it or you've got to go. It's hard to say it like that, but it's the truth. As a staff, we cannot commit energy to individuals who aren't committed themselves.” Is already doing it: “If you're already doing it, then we want to celebrate your contribution and ensure that it continues.” Doesn't know how to do it: “If you don't know how, it's our job to teach you by setting clear expectations and standards.”2”
― Michael S. Erwin, Leadership is a Relationship: How to Put People First in the Digital World

“Accountability based in care inspires us to grow, rather than just fear negative consequences. Directly confronting problems in a relationship can not only lead to discrete solutions, but also create deeper intimacy.”
― Michael S. Erwin, Leadership is a Relationship: How to Put People First in the Digital World

“We live in a culture that routinely weaponizes accountability. It's rarely an explicit instrument of love and care; it's a cudgel deployed in service of punishment.”
― Michael S. Erwin, Leadership is a Relationship: How to Put People First in the Digital World

“accountability starts with the individual: Am I doing what I have to do to be truthful and progress toward my goals? A well-built and tended-to relationship then allows that accountability to move outward to a teammate, spouse, or partner of any kind.”
― Michael S. Erwin, Leadership is a Relationship: How to Put People First in the Digital World

“Given that level of intimacy, accountability isn't solely a tool for promoting high performance. It's also a token of love.”
― Michael S. Erwin, Leadership is a Relationship: How to Put People First in the Digital World

“When leadership is understood as a series of relationships, no person is excluded from the privilege and responsibility of leading. You may or may not have a big desk in the corner office or make policy decisions that affect thousands of lives. You are, however, surrounded by people with whom you can forge empowering bonds; you can inspire others with your compassion, talent, and commitment; and you can improve others' lives by engaging in their stories, emotions, and beliefs. That's all a way of saying something that seems so simple, but is also rich, challenging, and full of urgent promise: leadership is a relationship.”
― Michael S. Erwin, Leadership is a Relationship: How to Put People First in the Digital World

“While we're confident that relationship-based leadership is effective, moral, and fulfilling, we're also confident that it gives every single person the license to lead. Legend has it that Dwight Eisenhower defined leadership as the art of getting someone to do something that you want done because they want to do it. In this approach, leaders still have clearly defined goals, and they still need the people around them to work toward those goals. But this leadership style doesn't appeal to formal authority or coercion; instead, it depends on the leader's ability to persuade, motivate, and create common purpose. Whatever's on your business card, you can lead if you can inspire people to act.”
― Michael S. Erwin, Leadership is a Relationship: How to Put People First in the Digital World

“To build a meaningful life in relation to others, we have to consciously put people first in our noisy digital world.”
― Michael S. Erwin, Leadership is a Relationship: How to Put People First in the Digital World