When Rodrigo de Paul began to sing the song Brazilian, Brazilian… In the midst of celebrating the 2021 Copa América triumph, Lionel Messi stopped it dead with a “No, no”, reaffirming his leadership and making clear the team’s values: joy for the victory and respect for the rival. The leader as a reference constantly demarcates the path and in that demarcation: is here and not this way, comes in setting effective limits and making decisions that not everyone will always like but that are necessary to earn respect and lead the team to achieve the desired results. It is worth remembering how De Paul took care of Messi throughout the World Cup.
“It is difficult for them to assume their leadership, make requests, set limits, they put themselves in the role of friend and they blur as leaders,” the HR manager of a multinational told me. There are people in leadership positions who find it very difficult to say “no”, make effective requests or delegate tasks; They seek continuous approval and confuse motivating with being condescending. These attitudes not only undermine a leader’s ability to influence, but also, contrary to what leaders expect, erode motivation. Seeking to please everyone all the time is fruitless. Anyone who puts in the effort will not be perceived as the right person to lead since it will be difficult for them to earn the respect of their team. A leader who does not inspire respect or trust will not be considered as such. People follow those they respect as leaders even when they have no formal authority. They are role models for their team because they act with integrity and honesty, lead by example, remain calm in tense situations, help the team address their friction, and establish the rules of the game clearly.
In fact, the ability to set effective limits significantly impacts motivation since they constitute a framework within which the team can perform autonomously. These boundaries are effective when they have a clear objective and contribute to the team’s success, are communicated assertively, and are aligned with the organization’s values. These define what is expected and what is unacceptable in terms of performance, attitudes and behaviors. And it is through these that the values that act as guides are manifested or experienced. A weak or indecisive leader is unlikely to delegate, give freedom to his team, and will most likely resort to micromanagment, controlling even the smallest detail of the work. When people do not have the possibility of deciding or having a certain control over how to carry out their tasks, they feel like automatons, they lose motivation and a sense of belonging.
On the contrary, a strong leader earns the respect of his team. Authentic leadership involves having clear direction; provide spaces for dialogue and debates; provide autonomy because; promote its growth and development; recognize and celebrate achievements and contributions: share moments of connection such as lunches, events, a coffee chat and knowing how to approach each collaborator because each one is different; not postpone or avoid decisions that only the leader is responsible for making and assume responsibility for them; Don’t seek constant approval and set effective limits.
“Don’t forget authority. If you don’t want to fail, you have to have control over your players.”, was the advice that Cruyff gave to Pep Guardiola, according to the media outlet El Grafico, when he took over the management of Barca. Because as John Maxwell says, people do not follow others by chance. By nature, he follows strong leaders.
Mariel Mejuto is an executive coach, specialized in training leaders, sales force and teams to increase their productivity.
by Mariel Mejuto
