I often reflect on a conversation from years ago with a former Army boss. It is a core component of my leadership style. He said that being a leader means you have to “Genuinely care.”
This phrase helped me instantly understand all the leaders I’d encountered up to that point. And better understand my own successes and failures.
Followers will forgive many shortcomings and failures in their leader, if they believe that they truly care about what happens to them.
If you’ve encountered leaders like this, you understand. They might not have made every right decision. But they’d fight like hell before something bad happened to the team.
You can’t fake it. If you don’t truly care, fix it. It’s not the only thing that matters, and yet, without it, you and your team will never be great.