Chapter 95. Show That You’ll Fight to the Death for Your Team

Your team is your tool for getting the job done—whatever it happens to be. Without your team—and that can be one lone person or thousands of people—you are nothing. Without your team you are an empty page waiting to be written—or typed. You must support your team, praise it, fight for it—to the death if need be. The brilliant manager—we don’t need to say who that is by now, do we?—generates loyalty and respect by being the team cheerleader—that’s you, that is.

You have to make people on your team see that you are not only their mentor, leader, guardian, and protector but also their champion, their hero, their defender. If anyone tries to criticize them, you will rise to their defense. If anyone tries to take advantage of them, you will rush to protect them.

On the other hand, you could always throw them to the wolves. See how far it gets you. But there are a lot of managers out there who seem to think that’s the clever option, the right choice. What do you think? I’ve worked for and with some, and believe me they quickly lose staff.

If your staff has seen you defend them once, they will know they can trust you to have their best interests at heart. That if something unfair is being imposed on them, you will stand up for them. This also means that if you accept something, they are likely to accept it, too—which makes for a smoother life all around.