Is the fear of not being liked by your team controlling your life? It’s time to stop the madness.
Let’s get this out of the way. There will be some people in this world who don’t like you. And some of them may even work for you. There, I said it. And it’s true. Guess what? You’re still standing. It’s one thing to desire to have a solid relationship with the folks on your team, it’s another to try and become besties with each and every one. Learn the difference. You’re not there to become the new go-to happy hour pal. You are there to help them learn and grow.
Stand your ground. A lot of leaders who focus too much on being liked end up being walked all over. They don’t want to assign projects to someone who won’t like it. Or won’t deny a vacation request when the team really needs that person to be there for a particular project. Or even worse, they make decisions and perpetually backtrack when they get less than positive feedback. It’s difficult to respect someone who never stands behind their own decisions. Behaving like this not only hurts your ability to be liked but also to be respected. Talk about a lose/lose.
Pick your battles. It’s true you won’t always be liked. But that doesn’t mean you need to rule with an iron fist. It’s fine a line but you will likely need to find your flexible side when it comes to getting the work done. For instance, it’s…
