Great nuggets of wisdom from the book “Leadership is a Relationship” by Mike Erwin and Willys DeVoll
In “Leadership is a Relationship: How to Put People First in a Digital World,” authors Michael Erwin and Willys DeVoll argue that strong leadership hinges on building relationships. They believe the digital age has weakened interpersonal connections, and successful leaders prioritize the well-being of their teams.
The book features interviews with leaders from various backgrounds who achieved success by focusing on people. These include Olympic athletes, business founders, and educators. Their stories provide inspiration and practical strategies to combat the impersonal nature of the digital world and strengthen connections.
Key takeaways include:
- The importance of prioritizing people’s well-being for effective leadership.
- Actionable steps to build stronger relationships in a digital age.
- Examples of how leaders from diverse fields prioritize relationships for success.
By emphasizing the power of relationships, Erwin and DeVoll offer a guide for anyone who wants to become a more effective and inspiring leader.
The podcast where Brene Brown interviews Mike Erwin is also full of great quotes and insights. They cover many topics, but I wanted to include a few below:
- “Accountability works better when it happens inside a strong relationship.”
- “A culture a forgiveness yields a culture of bravery. Sometimes the greatest exercise of power is the choice to forgive rather than punish.” Forgiveness is a character trait that I am still working to improve on. I have keep a lot of resentment over the years. This is certainly an area I need to feel more comfortable being in the uncomfortable.
- “People tend to have more trust in a leader who has humility as a default mindset.” The book goes into examples of how special forces use the word love and trust as absolutely critical components to in how they build the high performing teams they have in place. Relationships are foundational to bringing people together to achieve the outcome.
- “If loyalty can be the glue that holds us together, it can also be manipulated to keep people loyal for their own good and not the good of the person.” Fine line here. Loyalty is a powerful emotional force in many environments.
- “Stability is about creating a culture and creating a healthy environment in which to grow. Love shared between people is a stabilizing force.”
I recommend you listen to the podcast or read the book. Links below.
