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<p>Foreword ix<br /> Peter Senge</p> <p><b>Part 1 Understanding Relationships 1</b></p> <p>1 Present and Unaccounted For 3</p> <p>2 The Life and Death of a Relationship 17</p> <p>3 It’s a Matter of Perspective 47</p> <p><b>Part 2 Strengthening Relationships 67</b></p> <p>4 Using the Heat of the Moment 69</p> <p>5 Mapping Relationships 89</p> <p>6 Focusing Investments, Managing Costs 119</p> <p><b>Part 3 Transforming Relationships 131</b></p> <p>7 Navigating Change Over Time 133</p> <p>8 Disrupting Patterns 143</p> <p>9 Reframing Each Other 173</p> <p>10 Revising What You Know 197</p> <p>Appendix A: A Guide to Behavioral Repertoires 231</p> <p>Appendix B: The Ladder of Reflection 243</p> <p>Notes 255</p> <p>Bibliography 277</p> <p>Additional Reading 287</p> <p>Acknowledgments 291</p> <p>The Author 295</p> <p>Index 297</p>

<p><b>DIANA McLAIN SMITH</b> is the chief executive partner of New Profit Inc., a national venture philanthropy firm. Formerly she was a partner at The Monitor Group, a global management consultancy, serving as chair of Human Dynamics and Change in Organizations at Monitor University where she taught, consulted, and conducted research. She is also a founding partner of Action Design, which specializes in professional and organizational learning.</p>

<p>Since time immemorial, relationships have determined the fate of leaders. But today they are more critical to success than ever. No longer can leaders count on slow markets or sloppy competition to make up for the inefficiencies that poor relationships create. Leaders must make decisions and take action quickly and well with people who have little in common—perhaps not even a time zone. This new world puts relationships at the center of what leaders must understand and master in order to succeed.</p> <p><i>The Elephant in the Room</i> offers a compelling and systematic look at how relationships determine the success of leaders and their enterprises. Written by business-relationship expert Diana McLain Smith, <i>The Elephant in the Room</i> draws on the author’s clinical research and a wealth of in-depth observational studies to explain how relationships at the top of organizations work, develop naturally over time, and with effort, can be transformed. By revealing the hidden patterns underlying relationships, Smith shows how some relationships systematically drive growth, learning, and innovation, while others just as systematically stifle it. Then, by outlining a time-tested method for assessing and strengthening relationships, Smith shows how to build relationships strong enough to accelerate and sustain growth, even under the most intense pressures. <p>Armed with these powerful tools, leaders will be able to discuss, strengthen, and even transform their most important relationships. No longer powerless to confront the elephant in the room, they will be able to harness relationships to drive growth, learning, and change.

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