When it comes to running a business, leadership isn’t about making everyone happy. If you’re trying to run a democracy within your organization, where every opinion is weighed equally and the goal is to please everyone, you’re setting yourself up for failure.
The reality is, leadership often requires making tough decisions that are in the best interest of the organization as a whole, even if it ruffles some feathers along the way.
Your value as a leader comes from your judgment, not your time.
You’re paid to make decisions that will propel the organization forward, even if it means not everyone is on board. Yes, some people will be pleased with your decisions, and others won’t be. That’s just how it goes.
But the question you should always be asking is this: Does this decision make the organization more competitive and set it up for long-term success?
The idea that you can make decisions that everyone agrees with is frankly naive. Anyone who has run a business knows this. If you’re constantly worried about making someone in your organization unhappy, maybe you’re not cut out for leadership.
Harsh? Perhaps. But it’s the truth.
If you’re a leader who believes that you only make decisions where everyone buys in, my guess is you either have a tiny team or you’re not pushing the envelope enough.
Take, for example, when we decided to host a massive conference at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in 2022. It was a huge event that demanded more from every single department. Operations had to put other projects on hold, the marketing team was stretched to their limits, the sales team was under pressure, and the production team had to crank out more content than ever before.
Were there people unhappy with the extra workload and tight deadlines? Absolutely.
But does that mean we should have canceled the event? Of course not.
This is where leadership comes into play. As a leader, you’re the one charting the course. You have a vision, and it’s your job to steer the organization toward it, even when the waters get rough.
Sometimes that means making decisions that won’t be popular with everyone but are necessary for the greater good.
Leadership isn’t about making friends. It’s about making the right decisions for the long-term success of your organization, even if it means some people won’t be happy.
