Unpopular

Effective leadership is hard. I find that great leaders are uncommon. It’s not for everyone. And it’s not as simple as yelling “Let’s go!” and bringing energy to your team. There are so many layers to an effective leadership approach.

One thing that makes effective leadership such a challenge is it can make you unpopular. And it can make you unpopular with people you are very close with. Whether you are a teammate or a coach, tough decisions have to be made and not everyone is going to like them. Holding people accountable for small details isn’t always well-received, and as a leader it might be more comfortable to just let it go. Being okay with unpopular decisions is a big part of effective leadership.

It’s easy to say you are going to hold everyone accountable to a high standard all of the time. In practice, it’s a little different. We all want to be liked, whether by our players or our teammates. It’s natural. If one of your players isn’t touching the line on a sprint at the end of a great practice, are you calling them out on it? Is it worth it to create tension and negativity at the end of a good day? It’s easy to just let something like that go. Calling them out certianly won’t be the popular decision.

Ultimately your teammates or players will come to respect the fact that you are relentless about the things that matter. And the fact that you are consistent in your approach. If you are worried about being popular, your ability to lead is going to suffer. Effective leadership is hard.

Truly effective leaders are more concerned with being consistent than being popular.