Leadership & Loyalty
Where does the balance lie? Listen here
Much has been in the press, on television and all-over social media recently with regards to Dominic Cummins. By implication so to Boris Johnson. Let’s put to one side the politics at play here, the whys and wherefores, and look at leadership and loyalty instead.
How much loyalty should leaders show? Any relationship is built on trust. It can take time to build trust but can become quickly lost…perhaps more eroded over time.
In part the culture of an organisation and the leadership style of individuals will come in to play. In an entrepreneurial business with a high degree of empowerment, leaders will accept that mistakes can happen. The trade off being the learning experience.
Loyalty is more than the acceptance of mistakes…It implies that come what may, that you support someone…through thick and thin! But is that always the case?
One of sports greatest managers…Sir Alex Ferguson showed loyalty to his players. But once the trust was broken, there was no turning back. The player would be moved on and out of the club.
Is loyalty the same as favouritism? No…The latter implies that someone receives preferential treatment and usually not for the right business reasons.
Is loyalty blind…Sometimes yes.
For all teams to thrive, loyalty needs to be a strong factor in the team DNA. Leaders need to demonstrate their trust in people, and loyalty needs to be reciprocated. BUT…There must be a breaking point…No one is bigger than the team. Once Leaders show blind loyalty, they are open to huge scrutiny, and the loyalty does then become favouritism. One thing that leaders cannot exhibit.
Always show loyalty but never ever show favouritism… And recognise when the loyalty has been lost. Strength is another perfect trait in leaders!
“Loyalty is the pledge of truth to oneself and others.”
Ada Velez-Boardley