Most leadership coaching focuses on helping leaders build their skills and knowledge, and close gaps in their performance. That’s great, but not enough. Clinical psychologist, author, and international speaker Dr. Henry Cloud believes that the best performers draw on another vital resource: personal and professional relationships that fuel growth and help them surpass current limits. In fact, Dr. Cloud says that while popular wisdom suggests that we should not allow others to have power over us, the reality is they do, for better or worse. We don’t have a choice whether or not others have power in our lives, but we can choose what kinds of relationships we want. Dr. Cloud’s latest book (he’s written over 30 –  including New York Times bestsellers) is The Power of the Other: The startling effect people have on you, from the boardroom to the bedroom and beyond – and what to do about it. Join in on our chat below Subscribe: iTunes | Stitcher | RSS In today’s episode, Dr. Cloud and I discuss: The four kinds of connectedness, and the one in which you can truly thrive Advice for you if you’re struggling with whether to continue a work or personal relationship that is draining your energy What we need to understand about Freedom, Control and Responsibility And a lot more This Episode is Sponsored By FreshBooks FreshBooks is currently offering a month of unrestricted use to to all RtLP listeners – totally free right now. And, you don’t need a credit card for the trial. To claim your free month, click here and be sure and enter ReadToLead in the “How Did You Hear About Us?” section. If your business uses Freshbooks, and you’d like to share your experience with the Read to Lead audience, click the contact tab at the top of this page and let us know. Be sure and include “FreshBooks” in the subject line. Dr. Cloud’s Latest Book You can order your copy of The Power of the Other: The startling effect people have on you, from the boardroom to the bedroom and beyond – and what to do about it right now. Dr. Cloud in Action Books Dr. Cloud Recommends The books of Peter F. Drucker. Specifically, Dr. Cloud mentioned Drucker’s book Management. Ego Psychology by Gertrude Blanck and Rubin Blanck Love & Will by Rollo May No Man is and Island by Thomas Merton The Spirit of Enterprise by George Gilder Dr. Cloud’s Resources The best place to find out more about Dr. Cloud is at his website. Here, you can pick up a copy of Dr. Cloud’s new book. You might consider booking Dr.