If this is your official work title, you are probably working in a clinic or an institution dealing with diseases, diagnostics, clinical studies, etc.
But what if this is not your official title but your nickname? The nickname others use when they describe you in your absence. What if this is the title you are known for without even knowing it?
Not being liked in the workspace is not always a disaster, depending on the type of work and working environment. Also, a leadership position usually entails added responsibilities and the burden of coordinating diverse methods executed by different personalities for a common goal. A senior member in the hierarchy being unpleasant now and then can happen.
But being seriously and consistently disliked, by everyone, resulting in that sort of communication behind your back, can and most probably will become a problem. And chances are, it has already. Because when others criticize us, they unconsciously speak about themselves…
Bosses of various types and calibers have been called nasty names throughout corporate history. A ‘Head of Pathology’ title, however, indicates your collaborators have pulled systematically further away from you, your vision, the collective good, and their targets, moving more and more towards negativity, depression, or even mental instability.
The result of such outdated leadership models, spanning all sorts of cultures, societies, and economies, is the ‘great quit’ currently experienced by organizations worldwide. From New York to Munich, and from Athens to Tokyo, all sorts of companies feel it clearly.
It’s because, like any other disease, the effects of bad leadership do not discriminate. As much as I was shocked to find that such a nickname had spread throughout industries to describe a bad leader, it raised the immediate red flag: what if you, me, or anybody else is in such a position and doesn’t even know it?
An effective leader can only have friends within the team. The idea that workers better do what they are supposed to regardless if they like it, like the leader or the job, is no longer applicable.
Of course, disagreements among friends are also common, and sometimes a little fight might even occur. But the most successful entrepreneurs choose to work with friends or try to become friends with their collaborators, scaling the effort and maximizing results.
Unsurprisingly, they rarely call it work, despite staying in the office until very late or even sleeping in it. When leadership is no longer a burden but an enjoyable activity, regardless if it is a home office, workspace, hotel, airport, or mountain top, you eventually get good sleep at home too.