Finding the Middle Ground
Success, Failure, and Leadership
Success has many fathers but failure is an orphan.
This is one quote that I have always found very interesting. When things are going well and everything is rosy, everybody seems to own the credit.
But, when things start to fall apart, that’s when the blame game starts.
Being a business owner in a sense is also being a leader. That being the case, you have to accept that the buck stops with you. While there are things that are out of our control, there are some things that are within our control and influence that we can work on.
It’s easy to throw shade at people and tell them that things have to change or else. But this kind of leadership does not work all the time. I remember when I was working in the BPO industry, we attended a leadership training seminar, where we got to know, what type of leader you are.
One of the leaders that were mentioned, was the “Pile of dead bodies” type leader. These types of leaders are very competitive, results-driven, and aggressive. However, one weakness that gets overlooked by these leaders is taking care of their people. If you’re too focused on your numbers and do not worry about your people, you’ll soon end up wearing them down and end up with a pile of dead bodies.
While you may get good results, they will never be sustainable. Because you’ll have a difficult time building up tenure on your team. If people leave you all the time, then you might have some questions to ask. Not everything is about money. You also need to check in with your people if they are enjoying their time working with you.
Another type of leader that was mentioned was the “Cool Parent”. Now this type of leader is the favorite of employees. Because he or she easily caves into every desire of his or her team. They are people pleasers so to speak.
But when you do that with your team, they tend to grow up like brats. Undisciplined, no sense of purpose, and lackadaisical. They may like going to work, but if you don’t feed the goose that lays the egg — — — the business, then sooner or later, you’ll have to lay off everybody.
The key is to be able to find a balance between the two extremes. There are times when you’ll have to be more results-oriented oriented, numbers-driven, and there will also be times when you have to slow down, have some fun, and look out for your people.
Just like the seasons, there are planting seasons, and harvesting seasons. Sometimes, you need to be strict so you can build the discipline. Other times, you need to be vulnerable and human so your team can see your human side and like you. Because, no matter how much you pay your people, you can’t buy loyalty. You can buy time, but not their creativity, dedication, and sincerity.
If you found this article helpful, drop in some comments. I’d love to hear your thoughts about the subject!
