A handful of expressions and quotations change the way many leaders think about leadership. “Strong opinions held weakly,” “Eyes on, hands off,” and “No one cares how much you know until they know how much you care” come immediately to mind.
Here’s another one to ponder and add to your list: “Good leaders are easy to please but hard to satisfy.”
Good leaders have high standards, expect others to attend to the finest details, just as they do, and don’t declare excellence very easily. Unfortunately, for some leaders, this means they withhold praise and encouragement and focus much more on the negative than the positive.
Celebrating short-term success bothers them because they fear it will undermine the need to work even harder to achieve long-term success. Over time, they create a hard edge where quality and standards matter more than the people who produce them.
The best leaders have learned they can hold the highest of standards and expectations while also supporting and encouraging those around them every day. Being hard to satisfy doesn’t require a shortage of praise and compliments. “Easy to please” simply means that good leaders can reinforce the positive in the moment without compromising what counts as quality in the end product or outcome.
Leaders who are appreciative of small acts and everyday efforts are viewed as easy to please. They find simple acts and minor accomplishments worthy of comment and praise. At the same time, they continually push themselves and their team to strive for improvement. Excellence is something they hold up as the gold standard. It never goes away or becomes less important.
Leaders who are easy to please but hard to satisfy motivate others to produce their best work. The healthy balance of positive reinforcement and continuous improvement creates a dynamic work climate that team members want to be a part of. People feel appreciated but know they must continue to strive for more. That’s the reality the best leaders most want to create.
Burnish the words “Easy to please but hard to satisfy” next to the other great maxims in your head.
