Elephant in the Room: How Relationships Make Or Break the Success of Leaders and Organizations (Jossey-Bass Business & Management Series)

A systematic look at how relationships determine the success of leaders and their enterprises, along with tools to help strengthen and change them Since time immemorial, relationships have determined the fate of leaders. But today they are more critical to success than ever. No longer can leaders count on long time horizons or sloppy competition to make up for the inefficiencies that poor relationships create. Leaders must make decisions and take actions quickly and well with others, even those with whom they share very little?perhaps not even a time zone. This new world puts relationships at the center of what leaders must understand and master to succeed. Uses in-depth observational studies and clinical research to explore how relationships at the top of organizations work, develop, and change Shows how to understand, strengthen, and transform these relationships, so they can withstand the most intense pressures and conflicts This important book features a Foreword by Peter Senge, author of The Fifth Discipline .

Praise for The Elephant in the Room

"Smith brings to center stage the three R's of leadership: relationships, relationships, and relationships. One of the most brilliant and original books I've read, illuminating a theme almost universally ignored, and, ironically, the indispensable core of successful leadership."
—Warren Bennis, Distinguished Professor of Management, University of Southern California; and author, Still Surprised: A Memoir of a Life in Leadership

"If you're burned out on business books, this one will wake you up. Its non-intuitiveinsights are as refreshing as they are useful. You'll savor The Elephant in the Room from first sentence to last."
—Douglas Stone, lecturer on law, Harvard Law School; and coauthor, DifficultConversations: How to Discuss What Matters Most

"Pick this up and you won't want to put it down. This fascinating book combinescommon sense, great stories, and practical advice about how to approach relationships in the workplace. While my job is to provide healthcare for two million people, all the interactions that matter are one-on-one."
—Nick W. Turkal, president and CEO, Aurora Health Care

"Leadership is a relationship. And it's the quality of your relationships that will ultimately determine your level of success. No one understands this better than Diana McLain Smith. Her new book, The Elephant in the Room, is extraordinary. It's one of the most insightful and discerning examinations of interpersonal relationships at work I've ever read. Buy it, read it, use it."
—Jim Kouzes, coauthor, The Leadership Challenge; and the Dean's Executive Fellowof Leadership, Leavey School of Business, Santa Clara University

"An exceptional book about how to navigate a terrain most leaders leave to intuition,and few know how to discuss. No leader, or aspiring leader, should operate without it because, at the end of the day, every organization's success is due to the people within it."
—Alan E. Lewis, chairman and CEO, Grand Circle Corporation

"Smith could help the proverbial three blind men not only correctly identify their elephant, but engage it, teach it to talk, and transform it into an organizational asset."
—Roger Schwarz, author, The Skilled Facilitator

A systematic look at how relationships determine the success of leaders and their enterprises, along with tools to help strengthen and change them

Since time immemorial, relationships have determined the fate of leaders. But today they are more critical to success than ever. No longer can leaders count on long time horizons or sloppy competition to make up for the inefficiencies that poor relationships create. Leaders must make decisions and take actions quickly and well with others, even those with whom they share very little?perhaps not even a time zone. This new world puts relationships at the center of what leaders must understand and master to succeed.

• Uses in-depth observational studies and clinical research to explore how relationships at the top of organizations work, develop, and change
• Shows how to understand, strengthen, and transform these relationships, so they can withstand the most intense pressures and conflicts

This important book features a Foreword by Peter Senge, author of The Fifth Discipline.

"A systematic look at how relationships determine the success of leaders and their enterprises, along with tools to help strengthen and change them since time immemorial, relationships have determined the fate of leaders. But today they are more critical to success than ever. No longer can leaders count on long time horizons or sloppy competition to make up for the inefficiencies that poor relationships create. Leaders must make decisions and take actions quickly and well with others, even those with whom they share very little, perhaps not even a time zone. This new world puts relationships at the center of what leaders must understand and master to succeed. Uses in-depth observational studies and clinical research to explore how relationships at the top of organizations work, develop, and change Shows how to understand, strengthen, and transform these relationships, so they can withstand the most intense pressures and conflicts. This important book features a Foreword by Peter Senge, author of The Fifth Discipline"-- Provided by publisher The Elephant in the Room......Page 5 CONTENTS......Page 7 FOREWORD......Page 11 PART 1 Understanding Relationships......Page 17 1 Present and Unaccounted For......Page 19 2 The Life and Death of a Relationship......Page 33 3 It’s a Matter of Perspective......Page 63 PART 2 Strengthening Relationships......Page 83 4 Using the Heat of the Moment......Page 85 5 Mapping Relationships......Page 105 6 Focusing Investments, Managing Costs......Page 135 PART 3 Transforming Relationships......Page 147 7 Navigating Change Over Time......Page 149 8 Disrupting Patterns......Page 159 9 Reframing Each Other......Page 189 10 Revising What You Know......Page 213 APPENDIX A: A Guide to Behavioral Repertoires......Page 247 APPENDIX B: The Ladder of Reflection......Page 259 NOTES......Page 271 BIBLIOGRAPHY......Page 293 ADDITIONAL READING......Page 303 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS......Page 307 THE AUTHOR......Page 311 INDEX......Page 313