The One Habit Destroying Your Influence

In this episode of the Lead. Win. podcast, we explore how strong relationships can either drive teamwork or unintentionally create silos within an organization. Learn how to build trust, listen with intent, and lead with respect—without letting personal bonds undermine team unity. We break down the five elements of effective relationships—trust, listen, respect, influence, and care—and explain how ego and assumptions can be major barriers to collaboration. Packed with leadership insights, tactical stories, and real-world examples, this episode helps leaders at every level strengthen relationships, build leadership capital, and break down internal silos.

⏱️ Episode Breakdown: When Relationships Create Silos

• 0:00 – Intro: Why Relationships Matter
• Why relationship-building is foundational to leadership and teamwork.

• 1:30 – The Four Laws of Combat: Cover and Move
• How strong relationships enable teamwork, and what happens when they’re missing.

• 4:30 – What Is a Relationship?
• A practical definition: Trust, Listen, Respect, Influence, and Care.

• 7:30 – Building Relationships Without Friendship
• You don’t have to like someone to have a productive relationship with them.

• 9:00 – The Ego Barrier
• How ego kills influence, creates conflict, and prevents effective communication.

• 12:30 – Influence Is Earned, Not Demanded
• Real-world leadership story: how one leader gained buy-in by listening first.

• 13:30 – The Flat Earth Story
• Dave Burke’s perfect example of subordinating ego to preserve a relationship.

• 15:00 – Every Interaction Is a Deposit or Withdrawal
• The concept of leadership capital and how to build it daily.

• 20:00 – When Relationships Become Silos
• The dangers of cliques and tight inner circles creating division in teams.

• 22:30 – Real Client Example: Sales vs IT Friction
• How one conversation could’ve saved weeks of conflict and frustration.

• 25:00 – Assuming Sinister Intent
• How assumptions erode trust—and how to check in with curiosity instead.

• 26:30 – Don’t Neglect Relationships at Home
• A reminder that the most important relationships often get overlooked.

• 27:00 – Immediate Action Drill
• Identify one relationship that needs work and commit to a 30-day plan.

• 28:00 – Closing & Resources
• How to connect with Echelon Front and dive deeper into leadership development.

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