You know, I’ve seen this play out so many times. The more you care about results, the more you should care about relationships. It sounds simple, but it’s a game-changer. It’s the secret sauce that separates frustrating efforts from truly successful outcomes.
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Meaning
This quote flips the script. It tells us that the direct path to a result isn’t a straight line—it’s a relational one. High stakes don’t mean you should bulldoze people; they mean you need to build bridges.
Explanation
Let me break this down. When the pressure is on, our instinct is to focus purely on the goal, the deadline, the bottom line. We get transactional. But here’s the thing I’ve learned the hard way: that’s when you *most* need to be relational.
Think about it. You can’t execute a complex project, navigate a company crisis, or close a big deal by yourself. You need people. And people don’t commit their best efforts for a task; they commit for a person they trust and respect. So, if you really, truly care about that result, your primary job is to foster the psychological safety and trust that makes collaboration possible. It’s counter-intuitive, but it’s the leverage point for everything else.
Quote Summary
| Context | Attributes |
|---|---|
| Original Language | English (3668) |
| Category | Business (233) |
| Topics | empathy (143), results (24), trust (147) |
| Literary Style | logical (24), memorable (234) |
| Overall Quote Score | 84 (319) |
Origin & Factcheck
This wisdom comes straight from the 2002 classic, “Crucial Conversations,” by the powerhouse team of Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan, and Al Switzler. It’s a cornerstone of their research on high-stakes communication. You sometimes see similar sentiments floating around, but this specific, powerful phrasing is uniquely theirs.
Attribution Summary
| Context | Attributes |
|---|---|
| Author | Kerry Patterson (35) |
| Source Type | Book (4032) |
| Source/Book Name | Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High (35) |
| Origin Timeperiod | 21st Century (1892) |
| Original Language | English (3668) |
| Authenticity | Verified (4032) |
Author Bio
Kerry Patterson coauthors influential books that help people tackle tough conversations, drive change, and build accountability at work and beyond. He cofounded VitalSmarts (now Crucial Learning) and spent decades developing training that organizations implement globally. He earned a master’s degree from Brigham Young University and completed doctoral work in organizational behavior at Stanford, and he has taught and consulted widely. The Kerry Patterson book list includes Crucial Conversations, Crucial Accountability, Influencer, and Change Anything—bestselling titles that continue to shape modern leadership and communication practices.
| Official Website
Where is this quotation located?
| Quotation | The more you care about results, the more you should care about relationships |
| Book Details | Publication Year/Date: 2002; ISBN/Unique Identifier: 9780071771320; Last Edition: 3rd Edition (2021); Number of Pages: 272. |
| Where is it? | Chapter: Master My Stories, Approximate page from 2021 edition |