I. Relationship With Self
a. Self-Awareness
b. Self-Discipline
True leaders must be fully self-aware of their own behavior and how it affects those around them. Through greater self-awareness, leaders can create new habits that will allow them to grow and evolve as a leader. This requires self-discipline and a focus on emotional intelligence. Continuous self-development is the foundation of becoming a Relational Leader.
II. Relationship With Fellow Leaders
a. Respect
b. Integrity
We cannot have lasting success on our own merits. As the saying goes, “a rising tide lifts all boats”. Through showing respect to fellow leaders and acting with integrity at all times, we work to strengthen all relationships within our organization. As a result, everyone wins, and we create a culture where people want to come to work.
III. Relationship With Followers
a. Honesty & Trust
b. Adaptability
Trust is at the core of all relationships. As a relational leader, one of our main roles is to create an environment where there is a high level of trust, people tell the truth and can get aligned with the Purpose, Values and Vision of their team and the organization as a whole. As leaders, we must also learn how to adapt our behavior to meet the needs of our followers.
IV. Relationship With Our Vision
a. Ability To Deal With Conflict
b. Developing Our Intuition
For an organization to progress toward its Vision, it is essential that its leaders constantly articulate and communicate where they want the organization to go. Leaders must also be able to deal with conflicts, both internal and external, and be able to utilize their own intuition and other data to get back on track when they are off course with any of their constituencies.
V. Relationship With Our Stakeholders
a. Responsibility
b. Accountability
Stakeholders have a vested interest in the success of our organization. Stakeholders could include but are not limited to shareholders, customers, Board of Directors, employees and vendor partners. As leaders we must have a clear idea of our responsibilities and the ways in which we are accountable to our stakeholders, as well as our stakeholders’ responsibilities to us.
VI. Relationship With Our Support Network
a. Priorities
b. Reciprocity
The support of friends and family is an essential element in our success as leaders but is often something we take for granted. To be effective leaders we must understand the importance of this support and ensure that our priorities reflect this by making time for supporting those who support us.
VII. Relationship With Our Source
a. Humility
b. Focus On Bigger Picture
The relationship with our source is what gives us strength beyond ourselves. For many of us it might be our relationship with God, or a sense of a higher power. An important trait involved in this relationship is the ability to keep the bigger picture in perspective. Humility and a down to earth look at how we feel about our lives can act as a guide to our relationship with our source.
Tools That Support Relational Leadership
In our work over the years with leaders and organizations we have found that the following tools can help you achieve excellence in relational leadership.
Everything DiSC Work of Leaders® is a classroom training and personalized learning experience that connects unique leadership styles to real world demands. With one unified model of leadership—Vision, Alignment, and Execution—it helps leaders understand their own leadership styles and how their tendencies influence their effectiveness in specific leadership situations.
Everything DiSC Workplace® can benefit every person in an organization—regardless of title or position, department or function—in building more productive and effective relationships at work. It teaches participants to understand themselves and others, while learning to appreciate different priorities, preferences, and values each individual brings to the workplace. With personalized insights and actionable strategies, participants learn how to adapt to the style of others, ultimately improving engagement, collaboration, and the overall quality of the workplace.
Everything DiSC® Management is proven to increase the effectiveness of anyone in a management role. Participants deepen their understanding of themselves, their direct reports, and their own managers using the DiSC model, while learning how their management style influences their approach to decision-making.
Everything DiSC® Sales is designed to help participants successfully create customer-centric interactions that improve results. Participants learn how to stretch beyond their natural Sales style to more effectively adapt to their clients’ preferences and expectations—regardless of a client’s unique buying style. The experience is sales-specific with in-depth information, including tips, strategies, and action plans to help salespeople become more effective.
Everything DiSC® Productive Conflict increases self-awareness around conflict behaviors and helps participants effectively respond to the uncomfortable and unavoidable challenges of workplace conflict.
Rather than focus on a step-by-step process for conflict resolution, it offers personalized techniques to curb destructive behaviors so that conflict can become more productive, ultimately improving workplace relationships and results.
Everything DiSC® Agile EQ™ is a classroom training and personalized learning experience that teaches participants to read the emotional and interpersonal needs of a situation and respond accordingly. By combining the personalized insights of DiSC® with active emotional intelligence development, participants discover an agile approach to workplace interactions and learn to navigate outside their comfort zone, empowering them meet the demands of any situation. Merging facilitated classroom training with online pre-work and follow-up tools, you can create a personalized learning experience to help participants discover their DiSC style, understand their EQ strengths, recognize their EQ potential, and commit to customized strategies for building agility.