{"id":118,"date":"2018-10-16T13:55:06","date_gmt":"2018-10-16T13:55:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/danielvlopes238992071.wordpress.com\/2018\/10\/16\/how-to-become-a-bad-boss-make-the-little-trade-offs\/"},"modified":"2023-02-09T19:52:20","modified_gmt":"2023-02-10T03:52:20","slug":"how-to-become-a-bad-boss-make-the-little-trade-offs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/canopy.is\/blog\/2018\/10\/16\/how-to-become-a-bad-boss-make-the-little-trade-offs\/","title":{"rendered":"How to become a bad boss: Make the little trade-offs."},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Here\u2019s why it\u2019s so easy to become a bad manager, even when you don\u2019t mean to be.<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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I was running a leadership training a few months ago, when a CEO said this to me: \u201cI think I know why it\u2019s so easy to become a bad manager<\/a>, even when we don\u2019t mean to be: It\u2019s because of the little trade-offs.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I nodded and smiled. I knew exactly what he meant by \u201cthe little trade-offs.\u201d I\u2019d made so many myself as a leader, across my own career. The little trade-offs are the moments when we succumb to what feels most pressing in front of us, at the expense of what our company needs down the road to be successful. We swap \u201cThe Thing That Will Help The Team in the Long-Run\u201d for \u201cThe Thing That Needs To Be Done Right Now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a leader, we make a dozen of these little trade-offs every week (if not every day!) We negotiate in our heads: \u201cI need to finish this critical project, so I\u2019ll postpone my one-on-one meeting with this employee. We can talk next quarter.\u201d Or, \u201cI need to be heads down on selling to this new client, so I don\u2019t have time to explain the recent company changes. We can announce them later.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNext quarter.\u201d \u201cLater.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the moment, the little trade-off seems like the right one make. Executing on \u201cThe Thing That Needs To Be Done Right Now\u201d feels like the top priority. It\u2019s what will pay the most dividends. And when it\u2019s such a little trade-off, how much does it really matter?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Well, here\u2019s the rub: Little trade-offs are not so little. You might make just one or two, in the beginning. But when you\u2019re stressed, busy, and operating on tight timelines, the frequency of those little trade-offs inevitably increases. The little trade-offs you make as a leader become big trade-offs over time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Consider these seemingly \u201clittle\u201d trade-offs:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You choose to respond to an investor\u2019s message within 24 hours\u200a\u2014\u200abut don\u2019t respond to a team members\u2019 email or message for days (or weeks) on end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You choose to be out on the road marketing the company\u2019s new vision to potential customers\u200a\u2014\u200abut don\u2019t take the time to communicate the vision to the rest of the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You choose to actively ask a client for feedback and how your product can improve\u200a\u2014\u200abut are always late to deliver an employee surveys or hold one-on-ones to solicit feedback on how the company can improve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These little trade-offs say: \u201cI value investors over my team. I value my potential customers over my team. I value my current customers over my team.\u201d These are not little trade-offs. They\u2019re big.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over time, the little trade-offs reveal your true preferences as a leader and the basic underlying assumptions<\/a> you hold. It becomes clear who and what really has a hold on you, and where your interest lies. For your team, the little trade-offs you make speaks volumes to them, more than any stirring inspirational speech or pay increase you give. It\u2019s the little trade-offs that they\u2019ll most remember.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No wonder it\u2019s so easy to become a bad manager. Our little trade-offs pile up. Rather than being the exception, they become the rule.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How many more little trade-offs are you willing to make?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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