7 Original Maxims To Be a Boss People Love
I ran out into the middle of the road and aimed my rifle through the windshield at his head.
He kept coming.
I had a few seconds to decide whether he was trying to kill us or he was just on his way to work.
Sccreeeeaaaaaaccchhhh! His brakes locked up and the car skidded slightly sideways to a stop about 30 yards away.
I’ve never seen someone do a three-point-turn so fast. After he changed his drawers I’m sure he had to get his car serviced too. He must have just been on his morning commute. Saddam’s information minister was telling everyone we weren’t even there, after all.
I was a Marine in Iraq and I had to make a decision. Luckily I made the right one, restraint.
My point is, decisiveness is critical in leadership and one I’ve developed a maxim for below — but it only, like all maxims below, works the best when promptly filtered through your gut, heart, and intellect first. In this case, my gut quickly told me the driver wasn’t hostile. My heart wanted to give him every chance to correct things. My intellect said just wait a few seconds. I bet the driver was even more thrilled with this decision than I was.
Being in leadership positions in corporate, volunteer, and military capacities for 25 years has helped me hone a few truths down to a few words.
Here they are. I hope you find them useful too.
#1. Confidence Promotes Simplicity
Insecurity spawns unnecessary complexity.
I used to have a boss that would overcomplicate everything. He did this for two reasons. He wanted to have his fingers in every single thing he could. Not just because he couldn’t bring himself to delegate and trust, but in case it was successful he could take credit. Second, he was insecure in his abilities which led him to over-complicate a subject to make his handling of it appear more intelligent. Similar to how a kid might change stickers on a Rubic’s Cube and leave it out for people to admire.
