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Praise for Leadership Is a Relationship
“Mike Erwin hasn't just studied leadership—he's lived it. In this book, he and Willys DeVoll highlight how the connections leaders forge matter every bit as much as the visions they deliver.”
—ADAM GRANT, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Think Again and host of the WorkLife with Adam Grant podcast
“Leadership Is a Relationship is both timely and timeless, and makes a strong case for why it's so important for us to positively influence the people we lead and love. This book's message is one that we all need to hear, and challenges and empowers us to put people first amid the relentless pace of life and the distractions we all encounter in life today.”
—ELISABETH HASSELBECK, Emmy-winning broadcasterand New York Times bestselling author
“This book offers accessible ideas and effective methods for anyone looking to grow as a leader. Mike and Willys share real-life examples to help underscore the benefits of relationship-based leadership in your work—and life. Leadership Is a Relationship can help you cut through the noise of navigating an increasingly challenging digital world and instead focus on the strength of your connection to others.”
—HARPREET RAI, CEO of Oura Health
“This excellent book reinforces what I believe to be the most crucial senior leader skill: building and developing relationships. As a four-star combatant commander, this is where I spent the vast majority of my time and how I principally contributed to our mission. A must-read for all leaders, and especially those with large, diverse organizations where you depend on others for success.”
—JOSEPH VOTEL, Retired Four-Star U.S. Army General and former Commander of U.S. Central Command and U.S. Special Operation Command
“This book serves as a powerful guide on how to become an effective leader by building authentic relationships with others. Our business has always placed an emphasis on family, employees, community, and connection. Leadership Is a Relationship provides impactful strategies and tactics that will help any business continue to foster growth for future generations.”
—JENNIFER YUENGLING, vice president of operations at Yuengling and sixth-generation brewer
MICHAEL S. ERWIN | WILLYS DEVOLL
LEADERSHIP IS A RELATIONSHIP
How to Put People First in the Digital World
Copyright © 2022 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.
Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey.
Published simultaneously in Canada.
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Erwin, Michael S., author. | DeVoll, Willys, author.
Title: Leadership is a relationship : how to put people first in the digital world / Michael S. Erwin, Willys DeVoll.
Description: Hoboken, New Jersey : John Wiley & Sons, Inc., [2022] | Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2021043986 (print) | LCCN 2021043987 (ebook) | ISBN 9781119806134 (cloth) | ISBN 9781119806141 (adobe pdf) | ISBN 9781119806158 (epub)
Subjects: LCSH: Leadership. | Interpersonal relations. | Organizational behavior.
Classification: LCC HD57.7 .K4773 2022 (print) | LCC HD57.7 (ebook) | DDC 658.4/092—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021043986
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021043987
Cover Design: Paul McCarthy
For everyone who puts people first
Introduction: Relationships Under Siege
This is a book of stories. Let's start with one of yours.
Remember the last time you went out to dinner with someone, whether it was a single companion or a rollicking party of old friends. You sat down at the table, and then what happened? Humor us for a moment: close your eyes and recall