What kind of leader are you... A builder or a bully?

“Everyone here thinks you are stupid and if I don’t fire you I will have a mutiny on my hands…. You need to justify your existence.” “You are a waste of space” These words and others were spoken to someone I know who has worked with the owner of that organization for over 25 years. This person has helped the owner, not the company, earn millions of dollars. My friend was devastated, those words tore into their very core.

Words can energize, embolden, they can unify and elevate. They can take an overwhelmed and outmatched group of soldiers or athletes and drive them to a seemingly impossible victory. Words can also divide, demotivate, and destroy.

A true leader uses words as tools to motivate, empower, and build. They recognize their potency and wield it carefully. A leader recognizes people are individuals with different strengths and weaknesses and if tapped correctly those differences are an asset that can be a key part of the success of their organization.

Leading means making decisions based on business needs without losing sight that you are dealing with people. Leading does not give you the right to emotionally eviscerate your employees, or use them as an emotional whipping post when you have had a bad day. If that is how you use your words or treat your employees or co-workers... You are not a leader. You are a bully.

As an aside, my friend pick themselves back up and brought in a new client with their first call this morning. I think the owner is completely undeserving of this person.