Abraham Lincoln is often quoted as saying, “you can’t please all the people all the time.” I don’t know if Lincoln actually said that, but it’s still a good reminder for leaders. Some leaders constantly strive to please their followers, but their need to be liked damages their effectiveness. Leaders who strive to be popular will most likely find that, in order to maintain the popularity they crave, they will have to compromise their own values or give up authority. Eventually, they’ll be forced to face reality and do something unpopular, causing many of the followers the leader thought were friends to question decisions and even become openly hostile.
Other leaders are not concerned with pleasing anyone and don’t care how their followers feel about them. A leader isn’t going to please everyone, but being universally disliked isn’t going to bring success either. A leader who just doesn’t care will find his followers also don’t care. When things get tough, he’ll lack support from the organization, making the job of leading even more difficult.
Rather than worrying about popularity, leaders should strive for loyalty. It’s very common for leaders to expect loyalty but less common to give it to their followers. Loyalty is a two-way street and there are several actions that will help a leader achieve this balance.
- Always remember that your team is there is for the organization, not for you. You must support them in order to support the organization.
- Make sure your organization has a well-defined and understood mission or purpose. Each member of your team should understand how they are important to accomplishing that mission. They should also know that you appreciate the importance of their contribution.
- Communicate. Remember that communication is a two-way activity and that listening is often more important than speaking. It is essential that all members of your team know their voices will always be heard and their ideas will be given serious consideration.
- Be honest. Always. No matter what. It’s much better to say, “I don’t know” or “I just can’t discuss that right now” than to tell your team something you know is untrue. You only have to lie once to lose their trust. Regaining trust is very, very hard.
- Know the people on your team as individuals and strive to meet their needs. That may seem to be at odds with what I said before, but this isn’t about popularity. A leader should have genuine concern for the needs of their team because those needs are what motivate them. When your followers know you are genuinely interested in them, they will respond. You cannot fake this! People detect insincerity quickly and just like lying, it will ruin your credibility.
Leadership is not a popularity contest. Being open and honest with followers, while being genuinely interested in their needs, will make a leader more successful. Try it!
Bob Mason is dedicated to leadership development. He works with companies to solve problems by helping supervisors and managers become more effective leaders leading more productive teams. He is a professional speaker and author of Don’t Worry, You Can Do This: What New Supervisors and Managers Need to Know About Leadership; The Art of Not Motivating: How Leaders Can Succeed by Understanding the True Nature of Motivation; Balancing the Generations: A Leader’s Guide to the Complex, Multi-Generational, 21st Century Workplace; and Planning to Excel: Strategic Planning That Works.
A 30-year career in the U.S. Air Force exposed him to great leaders and leadership opportunities such as command of four squadrons, including the Air Force’s largest munitions squadron. He has studied leadership extensively, but more importantly has been there, working with real people, making hard decisions, and experiencing the results.
Contact Bob at Bob@BobMasonSpeaker.com or 505-453-5266
