Do you want to lead or be loved?

Todd Ordal //May 1, 2013//

Do you want to lead or be loved?

Todd Ordal //May 1, 2013//

I believe the following to be policy and results focused, not political, but just in case… I’m Todd Ordal, and I approved this message.

It’s nice to be liked and loved; it’s just not an effective goal for a leader. If more leaders worried less about upsetting people, the world might be a better place in the long run.

I was a great fan of Margaret Thatcher, but we all gravitate toward people whose beliefs we share. I don’t know exactly where mine came from. They could’ve come from being a business owner, risking my own capital. Maybe from working in a union environment in college and watching people game the system. Perhaps because capitalism has saved many more lives than socialism.

Maybe because I’ve seen successful, ethical businesses provide gainful employment and lots of joy for thousands of workers. Regardless, I think Thatcher was one of the most effective leaders of our time — and she had to upset people to achieve that. By the way, she wasn’t perfect, only successful.

The union workers I worked with were overpaid and underworked. Slamming a six-pack of beer on break and then getting back on a forklift was common. Threatening those who worked too fast — yes, I was one of them — probably seemed like good practice for them to keep others employed.

They weren’t bad people; a bad system misled them. They probably didn’t think about how their work habits affected the price you paid for the product we distributed.  They didn’t mine coal, but Maggie would’ve justifiably kicked their rear ends, and it would’ve made them mad.

Clarity of vision, strongly held beliefs and consistency in action are exactly what we want from our leaders, whether in business or government. Avoiding short-term pain to the organization’s long-term detriment is milquetoast in elected officials and business leaders. I’m sure there’s a special place in hell for those who kick the can down the road.

Business leaders aren’t hired to make friends; they’re hired to get results. Getting results through collaborating, sharing rewards, having fun, being transparent and fostering commitment rather than compliance are good techniques! However, this doesn’t mean using these practices will make everyone love you.

Your mother wasn’t evil because she made you eat peas, and Thatcher wasn’t evil because she made hard decisions for the long-term benefit of the country she loved. Thatcher famously said, “The problem with socialism is that eventually you run out of other people’s money.” If she’d been a businessperson, she might’ve said, “Being loved is a nice concept unless you want the organization to prosper over the long term.”