4 Non-Consensus Principles of Leadership

I’ve been reading a lot about leadership in a time of crisis recently. Here are some simple thoughts on what makes a great leader.

Leadership means getting your hands dirty -- work in the trenches with your team. Delegating sucks. No one ever says - “awesome! I love the extra work”. Whether it is conscious or not, subtle resentment builds up when someone gets something delegated to them.

Leadership means being brutally honest -- acknowledge the reality of the current situation. Acknowledge when something is going wrong. Ra Ra speeches don’t hit home. Employees see through them.

Leadership means challenging everything -- hold your team to the highest standard. The best leaders ask *why* we’re doing something before they comment on the substance of it. There’s a delicate balance between being an asshole and politely disagreeing with your team, but the spirit of it remains true.

Leadership means titles are bullshit -- everyone in the workplace is an equal. Respect what they do day in and day out. The most junior employee’s feedback should be taken just as seriously as the seasoned pro.