Why “It’s Just Business” is Bad for Business
We’ve all seen a movie where an employee walks into their boss’ office with palpable excitement only to be turned down for a raise, promotion, or other career achievement. You know the scene – the employee is almost always stunned. You can tell they already booked their flight to Bora Bora, ironed their Hawaiian shirt, and dusted off the white puka shell necklace they bought in 1998. They are blindsided by this stunning turn of events from a boss they respected and trusted.
“It’s just business...”
the boss (usually) quips, with a level of flippancy that leaves the employee standing in disbelief. It also makes you, the viewer, want to punch the boss in the mouth.
There is a school of thought that business leaders shouldn’t get too close to their staff, vendors, or co-workers, or any of the other networks you rely on for your business to run.
It usually is based on the thought process that it clouds judgement or prevents tough decisions from being made because personal relationships get in the way.
Is there truth to that? Perhaps. But maybe it's not that it ‘clouds judgement’ as much as it complicates decisions because the person becomes as important as the process, and it makes tough decisions even more heart wrenching when you can’t emotionally distance yourself from it. You, as the leader, feel.
Of course, business is important. Profit margins, gaining clients, building a strong brand… all very important. In fact, you don’t have staff if you don’t have good business. But you don’t have a good business without committed, connected staff either.
“(S)He who thinks (s)he leads, but has no followers, is only taking a walk.”
― John Maxwell (slightly amended by Leah Gregg to smash the patriarchy)
Leadership is inherently personal because the act of leadership is “a relationship between those who aspire to lead and those who choose to follow” (Kouzes & Posner, 2008, p. 52).
Normal, human contact with the people you work with helps open up the doors for honest conversation and authentic connection. Being vulnerable by sharing yourself with others not only builds psychological safety amongst the people you work with and for, but it also creates connection. That connection is vital for business at all levels. You reveal your humanity. You reinforce that your behaviours are based in your values, not as a means to an ends. Moreover, you will be liked, and leaders should want to be liked. When did that become such a bad thing!?
If all of that wasn’t enough, you might even find you get more grace in those hard, business focused moments. If your people know you – your values, beliefs, history, motivations, fears – they are more likely to give you the benefit of the doubt when you have to make an unpopular decision. They may not like the decision, agree with it, or even fully understand it but they are more likely to respect it. What you will likely see, however, is more open and honest dialogue or a general feeling that it is a ‘necessary evil’ that you have to undertake. You may even have people empathizing with you for having to be the one to make that decision.
“People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
Maya Angelou
When you think back to bosses you’ve had in the past, you aren’t likely to remember situational specifics as much as you will remember the way they made you feel. Building genuine connection with staff demonstrates the way you want staff to treat the people they serve – your customers. Kindness, empathy, connection and authenticity can be what you (and your brand) are known for if you are willing to put your heart out there for your people. So take the time to have the coffee breaks, learn about their kids’ dance recitals and the basketball tournaments, remember their favourite colour and share a bit of yourself with them too. Not only will it make you feel more connected to your purpose and help you lean into being the good human being that you are, but it is also great for business.
Written by Leah Gregg for The Well Co.
Have any questions, or topics you’d like to hear more about? Contact leah@leadfromhere.ca and we will try to include it in a future blog post!
Reference:
Kouzes, James M., & Posner, Barry Z. (2008). A Leader's Legacy. Hoboken, NJ: Jossey-Bass.
