Like it or not, leadership trickles down. While some employees have the strength and integrity to overcome bad leadership, far too often, a leader’s style becomes the style of his managers and employees. I know one leader who carries a chip on his shoulder with everything he does. He doesn’t trust vendors, consultants, or employees. He is a bully. He doesn’t send email messages, he sends email threats. As a result, I get calls from some of his employees on a monthly basis fearing for their jobs.
Sadly, because he’s the leader, his team has adapted to his style. Even low level employees try to push around vendors, and treat consultants and customers alike with contempt.
Remember that as a leader, people are mirroring your actions. Lead well and your team will follow that model. But it works both ways – become a bully, threaten people, or yell, and your team will follow that lead as well.
And remember – when you train your team to use muscle instead of inspiration and motivation, it’s only a matter of time before someone muscles you out.
Dive into more encouraging articles by Phil Cooke, Three Steps to Becoming a More Visual Storyteller
For more than 30 years, Phil Cooke has helped nonprofits find their purpose and is now applying this experience to individuals: “During a long career in the media business I’ve talked to hundreds of writers, producers, directors, designers, executives, and other professionals and discovered that in most cases, one thing is all it takes to launch a project or dream.”
Learn more about the writer Phil Cooke
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