 Hi, I'm Geoff Watts and this Lightbulb Talk is about the people-pleasing trait as a leader. One thing that can limit our effectiveness as leaders is our worry about upsetting people and our desire to be liked. I tend to call this our people-pleaser trait. Being likable not only feels nice but it's very useful. Being able to develop rapport with people increases our trust and influence with them. If we went around upsetting people, getting what we want would be very difficult as people wouldn't buy into our ideas and would resist or even try and sabotage them. Taking time to encourage people's opinions and really listening to them showing empathy for their point of view, especially if you don't agree with them, will increase your likability as a leader because it shows respect and gives people a sense of worth and value. Supporting your people as they grow, allowing them to make inevitable, honest mistakes along the way and try new things, will also enhance your likability as a leader. If people feel safe and protected they'll think more positively of you and your rapport will grow. Excessive people-pleasing, however, can be incredibly detrimental to our effectiveness and affected leaders realise that nobody can expect to be liked by 100% of the people, 100% of the time. They accept that it's more important to be respected than to be liked and that their job is to do the right thing rather than the popular thing. Sometimes somebody might need some corrective feedback, they might even need to be let go. Dodging these issues for fear of losing popularity would be disastrous. In these situations, swift, objective and rational action is the key to respect, but it's so tempting to just avoid these. Underpinning this is the fear of social rejection, and it's worth acknowledging this incredibly normal need for acceptance. When we think about it rationally, it can seem a little silly perhaps, because it's unlikely we'll be socially ostracised for a decision so long as we're acting with integrity. One thing we can do to make it easier for ourselves is to depersonalise it. People may not like the decision, but you are not your decision. Provided you haven't acted selfishly or in a discriminatory or unfair manner, then your decision will usually be respected. People are also more willing to respect an unpopular decision if you can explain the rationale behind it, and they can see the long term plan that this is part of. When people respect your decisions and you're supportive, approachable and likable, then you have a winning combination as a leader. I hope you've enjoyed this light bulb talk, and feel more confident in tackling the difficult tasks required of you as a leader.