Learning in Relationship: Foundation for Personal and Professional Success

by Ronald R Short

Organizations and individuals suffer immensely when relationships sour. Costs soar. Waste multiplies. Pain and resentments paralyze work and productivity. What if these outcomes could be avoided? Learning in Relationship says they can, and rather easily at that. These difficulties are seldom because of malevolence (although we often assume so) or impossible individuals (although we often think "they" are), but because we miss, misinterpret, and misattribute information. Relationships and difficulties are opportunities to learn. To accomplish learning, the book puts the reader--not the other "malevolent" or "difficult" individual(s)--in charge, knowing that abstract organizations don't change, only individuals change. . . who then work together to make changes in their specific relationship and organization.The book is divided into three Thinking Lessons, Inquiry Lessons, and Application Lessons. The reader walks away with specific maps, methods, and models to put into immediate use.

Genres: Leadership, Nonfiction

179 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 18, 1999

Reviews

[Anita · Rating 4 out of 5]

A required reading textbook for class, written so long ago, and yet more concise and accessible than most books on feedback and organizational relationships. Provides a great framework for approaching difficult conversations, with good examples of how to break though persistent patterns.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book more than I did. You can see that it took me almost a month to read the thing and it's a very scant 145 pages. The concepts covered in this book are incredibly important -- how to use relationships as a way to learn about yourself and the systems that you inhabit -- but the writing felt stale and dated. Each chapter comes with exercises but I did not feel the motivation to do them. There were some useful standalone concepts that I found useful, but as a whole this book felt a little too obtuse.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was an interesting read, it really made me think about how I interact in my professional relationships and what I can practice to be a better leader. The book was easy to read and provided practical information about how to learn to have better relationships. It helps you think about the why and your feelings.

[Jules · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is good stuff in this book, but I did feel I had to push through it. It’s not a pleasurable book to read, however the basis of the book is about discomfort.

[Devika Pandey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great for personal development

Great quick read for personal development and growth. Used it for my masters and it was useful to understand conversations

[Tiffany · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book about differentiated thinking from the inside-out :: separating our internal story from the other person's story. The clearer we are about what is driving our own reactions and thoughts, the more we will be able to learn from others. Great book for coaches!

[Glenna Laing · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book should be the basis of all leadership studies. While seemingly simplistic, the author brings clear insights to the pitfalls of communication between individuals and within systems.