By Todd Ordal Article
“Here are my top five troublesome truths about leadership:
1. You should minimize conflict. This is another one my mother taught me, and she was flat-out wrong. In an organization, you should optimize conflict, not minimize it. Avoid conflict at your own peril. I’ve seen far more trouble in company cultures for too little conflict rather than too much.
2. It’s all about the execution. Hogwash! Bad ideas executed well just cause you to fail faster. You must be heading in the right direction. Strategy first, then execution; they’re equally important. Execution, however, is a daily thing (managing complexity). Changing strategy is typically infrequent, which makes it hard to do.
3. Be nice! No … be kind. Kind means that you’ll tell people what they need to hear, even if it’s painful. Nice people often avoid tough conversations and fear upsetting someone else. Nice mangers always find something to compliment you on. Kind managers tell you what you need to hear, even if you’re screwing up. Be kind, not nice!
4. Only hire brilliant people. This is partially correct. Emotional intelligence, however, is more important than being the smartest guy in the room. In most jobs, I’d sacrifice 20 points of IQ to find someone who is self-aware and socially aware and has good self-control and social skills.
5. Be solutions-oriented. Sometimes you need to find quick answers, but I believe it’s much more important as a leader to focus on asking the right questions. More time crafting great questions will yield better answers. Too often, we’re solving the wrong problem! Ask a good question today!”
