Natalie's Jan "Relational Intelligence" Review

Hmm, well I guess the biggest thing that hit me in the first chapter of "RI" is that to have smarter, better relationships, leading to being a better leader, I first have to view relationships differently. I really liked the line "...we must shift from a positional authority mind-set to the crucial leadership mind-set of relational authority." I think being a leader sometimes in certain settings we can kind of think to ourselves "I gotta be the leader - come one guys, listen to what I have to say and let's get this over with." But I think Saccone is absolutely right that if we don't have real relationships with those we are trying to lead, what is the point? Who is going to want to be a part of that group?!
Another line that was really challenging to me was "As leaders, we can sometimes see relationships as simply a means to an end, and this inevitably short-circuits the process needed to apply and implement RI in our everyday lives and leadership." This creates a struggle within me. As a leader you want to influence people and make their lives and walks better, but to me, this starts to feel a little overwhelming. I start to think about all the people that are in my sphere of influence and that's a lot of people! Not that I don't care about every person in a different way (some are closer than others) but how do you give fully of yourself to so many people? I'm not saying that I think of people as commodities, but where do you draw the line to how much you can give? Maybe it's because at this stage of my life we have small children who require a lot of attention and depend on us for everything.
I definitely want to value people for who they are, but it is easy at times to get more focused on getting the job done, rather than cultivating the relationships along the way. I am praying that these thoughts will challenge me when I'm in the midst of a situation to remember what's really important and to focus more on the relationships than the end product.