A Framework for Relational Leadership

From the beginning of this look at leveraging leadership growth, we’ve worked through simple things we can each take action on to become more effective through the great professional relationships we likely already have in place. I’ll stress once more: there’s no such thing as a self-made leader. I’ve never met anyone successful who’s accomplished it all on their own - and I’ve worked to paint a picture through this process of just how much I owe to the amazing leaders and mentors I’ve learned from along the way.

Before moving on, I need to make something abundantly clear. The handful I’ve named specifically have indeed blessed me beyond measure, but they’re just the tip of an extremely large iceberg. I could go on and on about the specific lessons I’ve learned from so many people. In fact, maybe I could create one of those little desk calendars that lists one for each day of the year? Time will tell…

Right now, though, I have a more pressing obligation. Leadership growth is a lifelong journey fueled by intentional, authentic relationships. But those relationships rarely fall into place on their own. Make no mistake, God has certainly put numerous people in my life exactly when I needed them. And while I’m more grateful than I could ever explain, I’m certain that many of those connections would not have happened had I waited until I felt like pursuing relationships with anyone, let alone those who have stretched me immensely through the mentoring process.

Cindy and I both worked in large organizations for about twenty years, hers being a local hospital that employed close to 2,000 people and mine being a manufacturing facility with less than a thousand in our location but ten times that across North America. We had both built extensive networks within those organizations and throughout the space each operated in. When I accepted a new role with a small, family-owned company in late 2014, the most difficult part was leaving so many people I knew and cared about. I knew all 650 (or so) of my coworkers by name, including the newest to join the organization. I had met many of their families and I was familiar with many of their hobbies. That said, my professional network outside those walls was lacking to say the least.

Since Cindy’s last few positions before transitioning into our business full time were in business development, she had a bit of a head start in becoming visible with more people. While in my last few W2 roles with human resources and safety responsibility, I had a reasonable amount of interaction outside the companies I worked for, but it was still limited to folks within those specific circles. But from the time we started our business, and specifically when we hosted our first public event in late 2015, we’ve been incredibly intentional about actively building our spheres of influence - our professional networks, if you will. Doing that meant drawing from all the lessons we had each learned leading up to that point, and learning as much as we could along the way.

I’ve frequently had conversations with friends or peers who, when I’ve mentioned the different events Cindy and I are purposeful in attending, say something like “I just don’t enjoy going to those things like you all do.” To which I nearly always reply, “there’s no rule saying you have to like it.” Earlier I shared the story about my friend who compared our newest rescue dogs to me and Cindy. He and I are the same age, he just started his business a few years before we started ours. Not long ago, he and I were at a networking event where a young man asked the two of us for advice. His was simple: “Just show up.” Mine, while equally simple, built on that: “Give a shit.” 

When we’re willing to put ourselves in a position to establish new relationships, consistently, our opportunities to capitalize on each of the things we’ve worked through leading up to this point are almost limitless. That won’t happen if we don’t show up. But if we’re taking the time to show up, giving a shit sure does help maximize the return on those relationships! As simple as that may seem, I want to tie this all together by providing a practical framework for leveraging relationships to guide and sustain leadership growth. A structured approach will ensure consistent leadership success and legacy. We’ll start that process next by laying a relational foundation.