Tough, tender, AND timing…

We often talk about leaders being either too tough or tender. Reflecting on my own challenge of transforming a relaxed ‘country club’ culture into a high-performing team, I realized ONE thing made all the difference—and it didn’t rely on me becoming tougher. Crazy to think how a small nuance can make all the difference, but it can. Here it is—

Truth

Simply telling the truth, rather than trying to please everyone, can make a tender leader seem much tougher. A word of caution to all the tender leaders out there trying to become tougher: don’t force it. You can appear insincere and cause friction without realizing it. Instead, just start telling people more truth, early and often. And remember, just because you believe something to be true, doesn’t make it so. With that in mind, for the few aiming to build a world-class culture, repair when you’re wrong, circle back when you screw up, and take responsibility when your ‘truth’ is no longer true. Teammates will run through walls for leaders who do this.

Here’s another nuance I’ve recently discovered—It’s also just ONE word. I believe it separates the good leaders from the great ones. Check it out and see what you think.

Better yet, apply what you learn, build more awareness, and master it through practicing it.