Business Chief APAC+ANZ Magazine February 2015 | Page 11

LIKEABILITY IS A BONUS back should be . There are many paths to achieving this and becoming inauthentic in the hopes of being liked is simply not one of them .
As a leader , you will at times need to make decisions you don ’ t want to make . You may have to cut loose someone who is wasting your organisation ’ s resources , or you may reject a deal because it does not fit in with the company ’ s core values .
These things are not easy to do for some , and it certainly won ’ t make you the most popular person at the office morning tea that day , but true leaders know that it ’ s a necessary action at times , and they are capable of moving forward with the right thing for the company .
I read recently an article on the habits of exceptionally likeable people and I realized how misleading the title

When leading a company , likability shouldn ’ t be a goal , but having people engaged and customers coming back should be . was . You see , it should have been called habits of persuasive people , or habits of people who have disciplined emotions . But likable ? It ’ s a mistake to make this a key part of your governance strategy .

By focusing on being the most-liked person in the room you are at risk of making decisions that feel good in the moment , or get you immediate praise , rather than what is right . Focusing on being authentic , visionary and effective means that some people will intuitively like you and follow your strategies , but there will be some people who won ’ t resonate with you as a person .
Does it really matter to you that every single person remembers to send you a Christmas card ? Or is it more important that people believe that you will make the right decisions , not just for the company , but for them as individuals ?
It has never fazed me to let someone go in a company , not because I am callous or uncaring but simply because I perhaps identified they were the wrong fit . They may be better suited in a different environment , they may feel apathetic or may just not agree with the direction your
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