Jim nails it on the head here. Alot of effective leadership revolves around being willing to be respected v. being liked. About doing the right things for the right reasons. About being willing to be unpopular because of a difficult decision that you had to make. It’s one of the most difficult things to teach a new leader.
With all of the things we hear every day it’s amazing what sticks.
I don’t remember how the conversation got started, but it happened at least 15 years ago. It was right after I started at IHC in 1988. One of my peers (name withheld) and I were talking. In a playful way I said something like, “hey, don’t you like me?” The reply was of course, but being liked isn’t important. What is important is being respected.
That exchange lead to a more serious conversation regarding respect. Don’t take me wrong. It’s not like all of the world’s problems were addressed in this one conversation. It was just a brief chat. It shouldn’t have affected me at all.
And yet, over these past 15 years, I’ve thought about that conversation many times. Do I want to be liked? Well, not if it costs me respect…….. [Jim’s Pond – Exploring the Universe of Ideas]