Don't Be A Dictator

Leadership lessons for founders- infectious enthusiasm with ruthless pragnmatism

A few weeks ago I wrote about how as a founder you can’t avoid pressure. In fact you need to embrace it and suck it up Pressure? Suck it up! | LinkedIn. Nowhere is this more important than as a leader. You need to let enough pressure through to your team that they are sharp, focused and working to achieve everything to the best of their ability. If your team is drinking pina coladas by the pool thinking everything is great while you absorb all the stress then you’ll have a heart attack . At the same time you can’t wander around like some kind of deranged psychopath showing all the stress you’re under as you ride the highs and lows. No one will tolerate that kind of behaviour and no one wants to work for someone like that. It absolutely does not foster a good team spirit.

The power of the team is crucial. It is proven beyond doubt in every sport that a team of ordinary people acting and functioning as finely honed team will outperform a group of brilliant individuals who have little team spirit. It’s your job as a leader to achieve the former. While its easy to say, ‘ Don’t be a dictator,’ it’s hard when it’s your own business, your passion and your dream, to keep it in check in moments of heightened stress. Does it mean you can’t passionate? Does it mean you can’t be incredibly focused and demanding? Does it mean you can’t insist on and expect the absolute best from your team? None of the above. So how do you do all this but without becoming a dictator?

 I recently worked with two very different founders coaching them with leadership challenges, helping one successfully and one less so to be honest. Both of them are intensely competitive and driven and like to win. Both were recently in difficult situations where they had to make a tight call which could go either way and was fundamental to the direction of their business. One of them explained to their team what they were going to do and why and crucially invited and got all their team’s thoughts and feedback and encouraged a decision supported by the group. The other one just explained to their team what they were going to do and why. Both made the wrong call. The first founder admitted that it had been their call and it was the wrong one. While they were clearly very disappointed with themselves and the outcome there was no judgement of the team or blame. They didn’t get in a visibly bad mood or take out their frustration on anyone. The other founder, having failed to involve her team in the decision process, refused to admit it had been the wrong call, still claiming it had been the right one but circumstances had moved against them. They got in a visibly bad mood and took out their frustration on team members with unfair comments and criticisms.

The next quarter the first founder had a bumper quarter with a highly motivated and energised team. The second founder is in complete survival mode with a dysfunctional team and losing team members as well as anaemic revenue. While it would be harsh to call the second founder a dictator the difference in approach and results is clear.

Good leaders don’t just lead from the front but bring the team along as well. When it goes pear shaped, which it inevitably will at some point, there is no finger pointing or burying of the head in the sand. It’s a simple honest admission of a bad decision, acceptance of responsibility and you move on with no blame game being played.

 Ted Turner was the founder of CNN a now antiquated but at the time ground breaking form of entertainment(for the millennials and Gen Z ) . Known as ’ the mouth of the south’ he was certainly never seen as shy or hesitant. I always liked his description of leadership as infectious enthusiasm coupled with ruthless pragmatism. You want to be relentlessly upbeat and positive and spread that joy to the team. At the same time you don’t want to be delusional and when the hard decisions need to be made then you can’t duck or avoid them. You have to make the call and make it when it needs to be made without delay or indecision.

Good leaders teach. Bad leaders manage. A good leader is constantly tyring to help and bring their team along with them not just in decision making but in training and competency. You should be training and teaching your team all the time so that eventually they can do your job. This doesn’t just help you when you’re growing your business but it also motivates your team as they feel like they’re also developing and in turn are happier, more dedicated and therefore less likely to leave.

 Every day when you leave you should be thinking, did I improve today? Did I learn something that made me a better leader? At the same time you should also be asking, did I improve any of my team today? Did I make sure that I helped to make them better?

 As I said at the start you can be demanding, exacting, focused and passionate to the point of obsessive and if you’re helping them, involving them, being honest with them and teaching your team then that behaviour will be tolerated and even welcomed. If you’re not doing this and just shouting, bullying and demanding then you’re just becoming a dictator. So, create infectious enthusiasm and remember to marry it with ruthless pragmatism 😊