Chapter 5
Relationship Management
The longer I work in corporate America, the more I have come to realize that business is not conducted between companies but between people. In this chapter, we will cover the topics of building and managing relationships. Specifically, we will focus on the following concepts:
- Discussing why a leader cannot achieve success alone
- Focusing your energies on helping other people succeed
- Being a team builder
- Building credibility
- Exploring the focus of every human being: What's in it for me?
- Serving as a form of leadership
- Exploring the expression, “It's not about you”
- Reviewing perception versus reality: Why what people feel about you matters so much
Building successful win–win relationships is not just satisfying but is one of the key components of success for any leader. In spite of this, it never ceases to amaze me how many people undervalue the importance of building genuine positive relationships. I'm not talking about the shaking hands and icebreaker exercises that are prevalent at many conferences and large corporate meetings. My focus is on taking the time and effort to get to know what matters to people and working to help them meet their objectives. If you truly hope to be an effective leader, you need to invest time and effort into building lasting relationships.
