Leadership Lightbulb Moments #1
I'm going to do a little series of articles about things that come up again and again in coaching and which are often lightbulb moments for my clients. Hope you like them!
#1 Being respected trumps being liked every time
When I ask people what they look for in a leader, they consistently say that they want their leader to:-
- have a vision of what can be achieved and where we're going.
- be clear, consistent and fair
- be predictable in their reactions
- have my back
- be clear about what good looks like
- be understanding and supportive
- create development opportunities and care about my career
There are often a few more, but these are the ones people consistently come up with. Yet, when people are promoted into leadership roles, they often say that what they want most is for their team to like them.
Lightbulb moment #1 is that everyone is not going to like you. That's just life. But lightbulb moment #2 is that if they are going to like you, it will be because they respect you. And why will they respect you? Because you deliver on the list above, not because you give them everything they want.
Aim to be respected. People work hard and effectively for people they respect and they'll probably like you a lot as a boss as a result.
