Six months ago, Lindsey was promoted to director of the IT department. She was frustrated with the behavior of one of her employees named John. She decided to send out an e-mail to everyone, and later in a meeting, generalized her concerns again by informing everyone to stop the behavior in question. Her entire team knew John was the person she was referring to, and they also knew she was afraid to address John one-on-one, which is why she lost respect and credibility as a leader.
Is it better to be feared, respected, or liked as a leader?
If people fear you, they will do what you say, but just enough to get by or receive a paycheck. Fear creates “paycheck employees,” who will still perform because they want to keep their job, but they are mostly just going through the motions. They typically will not take initiative or think outside the box, and you will never get the best performance out of them.
If people like you, they will smile and laugh with you at work, but when you do things they disagree with, that feeling of like will change faster than the Texas weather, and the relationship will become an emotional rollercoaster of transactions. If people like you as a leader, that’s great, like icing on the cake, but again, your employees may like you one day and cannot stand you the next day, and their performance will become a reflection of their feelings about you.
If people respect you, they may disagree with you. Even worse, they might not really like you, but despite all of that, you will find they still will perform for you. Respect is not inherited because of your title, power, authority, or seniority; it must be earned. That may be common sense, but its not common practice.
There are five actions authentic leaders display to earn people’s respect:
- Be Trustworthy. Do what you say. Lead by example. Frequently ask yourself: How am I displaying the behavior I want my employees to demonstrate? Also, be humble and admit mistakes. Not only does it show humility, it educates and encourages accountability.
- Be Passionate. Energy and enthusiasm is contagious. Spread it like a virus. You must do this even when you don’t feel like it, especially when your team needs it. Be a servant. This is what you makes you an authentic leader and professional.
- Be Visionary. Be able to see the invisible. Inside every employee (even the negative employees) are seeds of potential. Authentic leaders are able to recognize it and then effectively communicate it to the employee to inspire confidence in the future. Don’t just see people or your organization as what they are; instead focus on what the organization and the employees are capable of becoming.
- Be Adaptable. Empower your people. Empowerment means giving people decision-making ability and limited defined authority. This is how mobile, nimble organizations operate. They create leaders at every level by training, equipping, communicating, and empowering. Push decision-making down and watch results go up!
- Be Empathetic. Show people you care. You can be tough on people, just like a sergeant in the military, but when people know you genuinely care about them, they know you are only looking out for their own best interest and they will respect you. Even though you are firm, they know you are being fair and that’s another deposit in your leadership account.
Can you be feared or liked as a leader?
Can you tell employees one thing, but then do something else?
Can you ask employees to be innovative and creative, but then criticize and reprimand them for taking risks?
Can you tell them they are our organization’s most important asset, but never invest in their personal and professional development?
Absolutely! The average manager and organization does all of these things to their employees every day, which is probably why their organization and their people will remain average.
James Bird Guess was homeless after high school and built a quarter-million-dollar business from the trunk of his car. He is now a consultant, keynote speaker, and subject-matter expert on strategic leadership, employee engagement, culture change, talent retention, and maximizing organizational performance. The best-selling author of “Lead Like Water: Many Can Manage, Few Can Lead,” Bird Guess serves as CEO and president of International Success Academy, an organizational development firm providing on-site leadership training, executive coaching, and employee engagement strategies. He can be reached at james@internationalsuccessacademy.com
