The lonely leader

One of the most difficult aspects of leading happy people is the toll it can take on your relationships with your peers in leadership.  For those who are holding on to the old command and control practices, who think trusting your employees is an invitation to being taken advantage of, your happy employees and positive organization are an insult.

The employees who work for these leaders will often complain about your employees, which in turn will have leaders approaching you with complaints.  You may hear things like:

"A has been out of the office a lot lately.  I don't see how things aren't falling behind."

"B spends too much time on the phone."

"C appears to leave early every Friday."

There is only one correct response to comments of this kind. 

"I hold myself and my employees accountable to meet our objectives, and we are on track.  Thanks for stopping by."

This response may be followed up with accusations that you, your employees, and your leadership practices are creating dissension in the larger organization.  Stand firm, as this is not true.  The larger organization will not get better if you allow yourself to get bullied into being a bad leader because it fits the norm, you will simply join the downward organizational spiral bad leadership feeds.

Sometimes, you will have an opportunity to help another leader grow into a more productive and rewarding leadership style, and when you get the opportunity, seize it.   I still believe that the most potent sales tool is success, and if you stay the course, your success will eventually lead to others seeking a better way to lead.