Thoughts on Relationships from The Shack

Today I shared a series of tweets on relationships, the primary unit underlying ALL leadership and teamwork constructs. I used quotes from one of my favorite books, The Shack by William Young.

In my various leadership roles throughout the years, I have developed relationships with hundreds of leaders. Some worked with me, many worked for me, and of course there were those in positions of authority over me. I have discussed leadership so many times over the years and have typically thought of this as one of my key strengths. Recent conversations and events have truly forced me to rethink my focus and ideas on leadership. Is being a good leader truly enough?

In The Shack, Young uses a fictional account of a meeting with God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit to emphasize the role of relationship as the single building block of life. And the more I read, the more I realized how true this really is. I have been blessed to have amazing relationships with most people who have ever worked for me and do consider myself a strong leader. However, what really makes my life fulfilling (or not) is the energy I draw from unique and valuable relationships with my teams, peers and superiors, with my family and friends, people at church, business relationships, and evenÂ random people on the street or in stores! Life is full of relationship and the more you embrace people for both who they are and what they uniquely bring to you (and you to them), the richer you will be.

Here are the relationship quotes I tweeted from The Shack today.

1 “You cannot produce trust just like you cannot ‘do’ humility. It either is or is not.”
2 “Lies are a little fortress; inside them you can feel safe & powerful.”
3 “You don’t play a game or color a picture with a child to show your superiority.”
4 “Each relationship between two persons is absolutely unique. That is why you cannot love two people the same.”
5 “Submission is not about authority and it is not obedience; it is all about relationships of love and respect.”
6 “Forgiveness in no way requires that you trust the one you forgive.”
7 “Life takes a bit of time and a lot of relationship.”

I am especially fond of YOU and our relationship.

Best, Adam

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