The Great ‘That’s Just Who I Am’ Leadership Cop-Out

I’m a blunt, tell-it-like-it-is, straight-shooting son of a gun.

That’s just who I am. And I wear it like a badge of honor.

But it can be a lousy leadership style.

I read a great piece by Karin Hurt of Let’s Grow Leaders this week which reminded me that “that’s just who I am” can be a cop-out. It can demoralize your team and derail your results.

So if you’ve heard yourself saying any of the following, you ought to read her piece:

• “It’s just who I am… I’m direct. I say what I mean.”
• “It’s just who I am… I’m a visionary. I don’t want to get bogged down in the details.”
• “It’s just who I am… I’m not a people person. I have people to do that crap.”

In case you missed it …

Here’s what else the ResourcefulManager team has been reading this week:

10 Reasons Why It’s Bad To Be Friends With Your Employees

You might be a “friendly” boss, but it’s truly not OK to be real friends with your employees. Yes, it can be tricky, but being a boss creates boundaries that can never exist between true friends.

Are Couch Potatoes Really Smarter? Study Thinks So

Don’t think my nerdy but athletic daughter will agree with this one. There’s a study that says the less we move, the brainier we might be.

9 Phrases Leaders Should Never Say To Start A Conversation

Have no idea why everything out of your mouth meets with resistance? It might be the first phrase you use and you may not even notice it. Avoid kicking off conversations with these words.

6 Ways To Shut Down Chronic Complainers

Most of us have them – chronic complainers for whom no situation or improvement will ever be good enough. But there are effective ways to shut them down.

8 Team-Building Exercises That Aren’t Actually Lame

Tired of the same, old team-building exercises. These will get you and your group on the same page.

Escape The Busyness Trap: A Blueprint To Productivity

There are a lot of myths about time management and multitasking that are dragging you down. Here’s a framework to change your life. The Escape the Busyness Trap Blueprint.

Keep an eye out for …

You don’t want to miss Monday’s blog post: Finding A Great Mentor: It’s A Dance, Not A Contract. It’s got some great advice.

Yours in success,

John Walston
ResourcefulManager-in-Chief