Relational Achievement Leadership

The leadership question isn't whether you're good with people or good with results. The question is: can you do both simultaneously when it matters most?

Because here's the thing: sustainable high performance requires both deep human connection and relentless focus on meaningful outcomes.

Lately, I'm thinking that effective leadership works like rowing a boat with two synchronized oars:

Relating Oar: Understanding what motivates people, building genuine trust, creating conditions where others can thrive and do their best work.

Achieving Oar: Maintaining clarity of purpose, driving momentum through obstacles, and delivering results that truly matter.

When both oars work in balance, leaders move forward powerfully. When one dominates or they're out of sync, they either go in circles or get stuck.

To complete the picture, see yourself centered with the two oars at hand. But you are not in a rigid seat; you are in a gyroscope. Your core stays stable while everything around you moves. This lets you flex without becoming a people-pleaser or a bulldozer.

I call it “Relational Achievement Leadership”, and it is the base of my mentoring with leaders.

The Test

Next leadership challenge you face, ask yourself: "Which oar am I ignoring?"

Perhaps you're so focused on the deadline that you've forgotten to explain why it matters.

Perhaps you're so concerned about feelings that you're not providing the feedback someone needs.

A question worth asking: "How do I help this person win AND deliver what we promised?"

What I See

In my mentoring work, I observe a consistent pattern: leaders become stuck because they perceive it as an either/or proposition. It's not.

I developed this approach to accompany leaders because authentic leadership is doing both when the heat is on.

Stop choosing between being liked and being effective.

Both oars can work together. Stop going in circles.

Curious what happens when you balance both? I work with leaders who are ready to find out.

Drop me a line.

*photo by clay banks on unsplash