One among My Liabilities as a Chief Was Not Acknowledging the Wins Alongside The Means
“I don’t need reward, I need to know what I might have performed higher.” For years this was my default response to even the smallest of optimistic suggestions. Overlook the PROS, I simply need the CONS.
There have been quite a lot of causes for this posture: a robust conviction within the worth of classes discovered, a want to study from these I revered. However for those who actually pushed on it, there have been layers of worry and insecurity on the opposite facet of the self-confidence cookie. The issues which didn’t doom me this time may catch me subsequent go spherical, so let’s get on high of them. And an intense concern about complacency, as if any satisfaction in my work (or my life?) would trigger me to cease searching for excellence, take away the chip on my shoulder, boring the sting, or no matter your metaphor of alternative.
I’d heard the sayings, in print, from colleagues. On this world raised nails get pounded down. Compliments are arrows from the mediocre, meant to scale back your ambition. And with a 20something/30something’s quantity of testosterone, I didn’t need to be pounded down. Didn’t need to be mediocre.
After I take into consideration my profession throughout these years there’s all the time a recognition that maybe listening to some reward wouldn’t have killed me. Today I’m in a position to smile extra and attempt to carry the ‘how fortunate are we to be doing this work’ mentality to these round me. So current day Hunter is best.
That doesn’t make up for the way in which I handled my groups and colleagues although. I used to be the quintessential “don’t cease and scent the roses, have you learnt how way more there may be to do till we win? Be comfortable then!” supervisor. Urging individuals ahead in the direction of a set of goalposts that might by no means get any nearer.
Feels like a recipe for burnout, feeling under-appreciated, and like I’d by no means be glad, proper? Properly, I’m certain some individuals skilled me that means and for that I’m sorry. I wish to suppose the take care of them got here by means of in different methods however in hindsight, there was a degree I by no means reached by way of empathetic management.
Colleagues of mine, some within the product org, some outdoors of it, have been way more attuned to those wants, and for that I’m actually grateful. They knew when a contented hour, or t-shirt, or ‘ship this e mail out to the crew’ was wanted and have been in a position to lengthen our tradition in methods I fell brief.
So why write this? As a result of I work with loads of CEOs the place I acknowledge a number of the identical traits. They do care about their groups deeply as human beings however work to search out their very own steadiness of “let’s rejoice” and “push tougher!” And as people there’s usually the identical want to critique themselves with out pausing to take a breath. In my expertise it’s not about first time vs repeat entrepreneurs. Males vs girls. Previous or younger. It’s not common however it’s prevalent. And so I’m simply hoping that my very own reflections assist set a few of them comfy with their very own struggles.
