7 Things Bad Leaders Say to Themselves and to Their Team

Hey, when you were four years old, your mom wouldn’t let you do things.

But you’re not four anymore.

There’s so much wrong with the ‘my people won’t let me’ stance:

First, you just threw your entire crew under the bus.

Second, you’re the leader. So lead them. (If you can’t lead them effectively enough to change people, stop blaming them and look in the mirror.)

Third, if the change you want to bring about is unsuccessful for now, respect that. Back your people in public. Back them in private. Love them.

Love doesn’t always mean agreement. Love doesn’t always mean you feel deep affection for them in every moment.

But love and respect are linked. And you don’t throw people you love under the bus.

If you can’t love your people, stop leading them.

I want to say this so bad. And I have said it in the past.

But I know it’s completely wrong.

The only way failure is not an option is if you risk nothing. And, ironically, if you risk nothing, failure also becomes inevitable.

If you’re going to innovate, you have to fail.

One of the best things I’ve done in the last five years is to launch a leadership podcast. Over 7.5 million downloads later, it continues to grow every year.