Leadership, not “Likership”

re: The Auditors » Blog Archive » Leadership: A Guest Post from Tenacious Truman.

First of all, I love re: The Auditors. It teaches me, it informs me, and it gives me the opportunity to reassure myself that I made the right decision to leave the accounting world (prior to entering it…). The authors are clever and funny and eloquent. It’s a great site for everyone, regardless of association with accounting.

SO anyway, Tenacious Truman has written his perspective on leadership. He asserts that “the question is not IF you will influence someone, but HOW you will use your influence”. I like it.

I especially like the concept in item #4:

We need Leadership, not “Likership”. What do I mean by “likership”? While not in the dictionary, the meaning is clear when seen in the context of the other attributes of an effective leader … be a leader not a follower. We can all relate to a leader or supervisor who wants to be liked, which is natural, but there is a difference between a leader who treats people with respect and makes the tough decisions versus a supervisor who is afraid to make a decision or does not hold people accountable or enforce standards. What about a leader who is afraid to give tough love when it is required, or a leader who tells the partners what they want to hear rather than what they need to hear.