How do you build and maintain relationships? In this week’s show, Dr. Dan Stoneman, Executive Partner at Gardner and former CIO of the San Diego Unified District, dives deep into this idea. He joins Etienne de Bruin to talk about the role of psychology as a CTO and the importance of relationships. He tells listeners that we should not be so focused on outcomes that we no longer have people in our lives. 

Some ideas you’ll hear them explore are:

When you’re texting the most important people in your life, Dan suggests, asking them what's special about their day instead of how they're doing. 

If you don't understand psychology and influence, you're not going to get anything done. While persuasion is programming people in a way, you can't do that the way you would program computers. Humans make decisions all on their own, so to be able to persuade them, you have to understand why they make the choices they do.

The three pillars of effective leadership are mastery, autonomy, and purpose. 

The best thing you can do as a leader is to step out of the way so your team can activate and harness their creativity to make the product better. 

How you interact and relate to your team is what drives productivity.

Years of experience will not necessarily translate into effective leadership. It takes communication, empathy, and a desire to transfer knowledge.


Resources
Dan Stoneman | LinkedIn 
Drive by Daniel Pink
The Destructive Hero | The New York Times
Netscape Time by Jim Clark