#1 ·
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about leadership and how much it relies on trust. We often talk about leaders being "visionaries," but there is a very thin line between having a bold new vision and just being a loose cannon who ignores the people actually helping them build the ship.
It’s one thing to disagree with a boss or a chairman on the direction of a project. It’s a completely different thing when the people who are supposed to be your closest advisors or your most loyal allies realize they're being sidelined from the big decisions. I remember working at a firm a few years back where the CEO started making massive, sweeping structural changes without even telling the department heads. The atmosphere turned toxic overnight because nobody felt like they were actually part of the organization anymore. It felt less like teamwork and more like a solo act with a lot of expensive props.
When the people who are supposed to be your bedrock start feeling blindsided, you aren't just risking a disagreement—you're risking the entire foundation of your power. If you can't even keep your own camp in the loop, how are you supposed to manage anything larger?
Do you think a leader can actually stay effective once they've lost the confidence of their own inner circle?
It’s one thing to disagree with a boss or a chairman on the direction of a project. It’s a completely different thing when the people who are supposed to be your closest advisors or your most loyal allies realize they're being sidelined from the big decisions. I remember working at a firm a few years back where the CEO started making massive, sweeping structural changes without even telling the department heads. The atmosphere turned toxic overnight because nobody felt like they were actually part of the organization anymore. It felt less like teamwork and more like a solo act with a lot of expensive props.
When the people who are supposed to be your bedrock start feeling blindsided, you aren't just risking a disagreement—you're risking the entire foundation of your power. If you can't even keep your own camp in the loop, how are you supposed to manage anything larger?
Do you think a leader can actually stay effective once they've lost the confidence of their own inner circle?