Is It the Leader or the Team That Needs to Be Admired?

The most extraordinary leaders think somewhat differently about leadership and relationships. 

They aren’t contrarian or divergent just for the sake of standing out, but they see the qualities of great leadership from a different point of view. Leadership, for them, is always about the people they lead and not about themselves. There’s much we can learn from them in our journey to become better leaders. 

Take, for instance, the very idea of admiration. The term denotes the highest level of respect for what a person accomplishes and how they go about it. We generally admire people we believe are extraordinary examples of something we value or aspire to. 

We might admire a person’s grit, creativity, or the general way they go about living their life. We view the qualities they display, the journey they’ve taken, or the results they have achieved as worthy of the deepest respect. So, we affix the word “admired” to the person or the qualities we believe are most worth emulating. 

Most leaders aspire to be admired by their team. They believe, and rightly so, that in being admired for what they do and how they do it, they are doing many more things right than wrong. Leaders who are admired by their team members are conferred a credibility reserved for very few. 

The admiration they have earned from the team makes them more trustworthy and worthy of the benefit of any doubt. When they ask the team to sacrifice or challenge themselves, leaders who are admired find a team that is willing and committed to whatever is required. The respect they have for the leader melts away any doubt or resistance. 

No wonder leaders work so hard to earn the admired label. When team members start from a place of deep respect and trust for the leader, everything that must get done becomes a little easier and with a lot less friction. 

The best leaders in the world certainly aspire to be respected by those they lead, but they take a somewhat different view of admiration within the team. They believe it is more important for the leader to admire the team than it is for the team to admire the leader. Getting your head around that idea can shake up your view of what leadership is really all about. 

When leaders admire the team, and display that admiration, members feel empowered to do their best work and reach their highest potential. Like a strong wind at the back, they do everything with more ease and energy. In order not to diminish or lose that admiration, team members go above and beyond, proving every day that they are worthy of that respect. 

Of course, for the greatest teams and their leaders, the admiration is reciprocal. But when it comes to aspirational goals, it is more important for leaders to admire the team and demonstrate that feeling than it is for the team to admire them. 

Thinking this way and acting on it flips a common script. The best leadership is always about others and not about the leader. 

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Go ahead and click the link below to take a short test to see whether you think like an Admired Leader. You already know the answer to one important question. Learn how much your thinking matches the most extraordinary leaders in the world.