The Relational Leader

Building Strong Teams and Organisations through Relational Weaving

Dr John M. Digney and Dr Heather Modlin

ISBN 978-1-7764578-2-3

Published: 2026  |  308 pages

For quite some time we have been aware of, and regularly discuss, a contradiction at the heart of much contemporary leadership practice in human services. In organisations which have a focus on providing welfare and protection services to children, young people and families, especially those whose lives have been marked by trauma, neglect, exclusion, loss, and adversity, we ask our practitioners to be relational, to be attuned, to be emotionally available, to be respectful, to be curious, and to be ever reflective. We encourage them to see behaviour as communication, to understand the meaning beneath the action, and to create environments of safety, belonging, and growth. Yet, all too often the leadership systems surrounding those practitioners are driven by compliance (usually to external standards), distance (both physical and emotional), performance pressure (with measurements against “adverse events” and arbitrary outcome measures), and control. This is common across many sectors and industries.

In a field crowded with prescriptions about what leaders should do, this book offers something both more fundamental and more practical ... That is a contribution worth paying attention to.
Dr. William Kahn, Boston University – Questrom School of Business

Relational leadership as presented here is personally healing, collectively nourishing and organizationally transformative ... This is a unique and important contribution.
Dr. James P. Anglin - Emeritus Professor, School of Child and Youth Care – University of Victoria, Canada

This book offers a compelling vision of relational leadership, rooted in the understanding that meaningful change happens through the intentional ‘weaving’ of relationships. It is an inspiring and thought-provoking guide for leaders.
Neil Gentleman, Children and Families Social Work – Children’s Services, Orkneys

This book captures why relational leadership matters ... This thoughtful and practical book offers valuable guidance for leaders across sectors who want to build cultures in which both people and purpose can thrive.
Coenraad de Beer - Strategy, Research and Development Advisor – SOS Children’s Villages International, Austria

The reader is invited to undertake a Leadership journey, into what many may describe as a very cluttered landscape. The book eases the reader into what is a very skillful and carefully structured roadmap of discovery.
Ross Drummond - Independent Chair, Adult and Child Protection Committees – Outer Hebrides, Scotland

I found the book thought-provoking and highly relevant to my own experience of leadership ... I believe this approach has great potential as a leadership development and training framework.
Denis Whelan, Former Garda Superintendent – Ireland

I LOVE this book! I love this book so much I want to teach it ... I hope that all who read this book find it as inspirational as I have. It was a privilege to read and has had a profound impact on me.
Sineag Blane, Area Principal Teacher Learning Support – Uist and Barra, Scotland

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