The Elephant in the Room: How Relationships Make or Break the Success of Leaders and Organizations

“The Elephant in the Room is as wise as it is practical. The ‘relational perspective’ will change how you think about leadership effectiveness. You'll soon see that the way executives interact with each other is more important to the success of an organization than their qualities as individuals. Drawing from her own consulting practice and accounts of famous work partnerships, Smith provides compelling stories of relationships between leaders—famous and not so famous—that influenced business and government outcomes in profound ways. The inescapable conclusion is that a relationship-based concept of leadership is long overdue.”

—Amy Edmondson, Novartis Professor of Leadership and Management, Harvard Business School

“It is very rare for someone ...