Stop Being A Friend

A leader can’t be everyone’s buddy. A strategic business operator can’t be popular. After all, this isn’t high school.

Yet too many business owners try to be liked instead of respected. Let's face it. Holding people accountable can appear confrontational at times. As a result, many owners avoid tension, conflict, and ongoing performance reviews. But such avoidance is dangerous to your business and the growth and development of your people.

As a leader, you need to be respected, not necessarily liked. Above all else, you are their boss and a challenging coach that demands the best of each player.

I kept my fingers crossed as I watched Jeff C. (owner of a printing company), fret over firing a longtime employee. Jeff held parties, picnics, Christmas gatherings, and Easter egg hunts at his home. Everyone in the company was chummy –– one big happy family. There was no professional distance between Jeff and his employees.

When the firing of that longtime employee finally occurred, the company (the other team members) went into a state of depression… more like mourning. It was as though someone in the family had passed on.

The moral of the story is that you can’t be chummy. You don’t have to be mean or distant. You just need to be the leader!