The Desire to be Popular
Wise business advice from a friend’s, Roy Goble’s, father:
…. And that’s when I received some of the best management advice I ever heard. He said, “Remember, this is not a popularity contest. There is nothing wrong with being a friend with customers or employees. Look at me and Rocky Malvini — he’s been a customer of mine for 30-years and we’re fast friends. Nothing wrong with trusting employees or believing they’ll fulfill their commitments. You don’t want to become paranoid and bitter about the people you work with. But you also do not want to be driven by your desire to be popular. That will get you into trouble. Eventually, you have to make tough decisions about some people, and if those decisions are driven by your desire to be liked, you’ll create a lot of pain for yourself and do nothing to help the people around you.”