Chapter 40
Act the part
It is not enough to do the right things, you have to act the part as well. Style counts as well as substance. This may seem unfair, but success is not always fair. In reality, we all judge others not just on what they do but on how they are. We remember good and bad bosses we have worked with as much for how they behaved towards us as for what they achieved.
Leadership is a performance. As one CEO put it: ‘I still get angry and frustrated, but over the years I have learned to wear the mask. I let the team see the leader I want them to see. Most of the time I want that to be positive and supportive. If I need to inject some urgency, some tension, I do so deliberately. Don’t let emotion get in the way.’
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