Good Leaders Don't Call People Names

This is a no brainer, right? And yet one of the most powerful people in the world is famous for mocking others and calling them pejorative names. Sounds like something a small child would do, doesn’t it? Have you ever wondered why a powerful leader would stoop to such tactics?

Top leaders have a monopoly on power in the organizations they lead. Since they are the final arbiter of rewards and success in the organization, the behavior that they reward increases, and the behavior they ignore or punish decreases. Why would anyone want to be in an organization and fail by displeasing the top leader?

This means that a top leader is a walking example of the core values and the culture of the organization they lead.

So, what does name calling tell you about a person’s values? The bottom line is that it broadcasts a lack of emotional intelligence. This is a big deal because a great deal of business success and life happiness depends on how good you are at building relationships.

The most important relationship you’ll ever build is with yourself because you’re with yourself 24/7 for your entire life. Furthermore, you tend to treat others the way you treat yourself.

Name callers have a very limited sense of personal power and self-esteem, and this leads them to a win-lose outlook on relationships. For them to feel powerful, they believe they must criticize and dominate others. They literally can’t see a path to win-win relationships in which both people flourish and feel powerful and happy.

This is sad, right? What’s even sadder is that so many people see leaders who call names as strong and powerful when the exact opposite is true. If you want to be a successful leader, I recommend that you not be that sad and insecure guy.

Don’t be a stranger. (770) 993-1129. tdockery@TheResolveFirm.com