Leaders have to make tough decisions

I was raised by a loving family and grew up being almost too positive, optimistic and happy (so I’m told). Everyone seemed to like me. But as I got older, I noticed this wasn’t always the case. Unfortunately, that affected me. I thought I was a failure if not everyone liked me.

Many people struggle personally and professionally with the notion that they must be liked by everyone. I’ve learned the hard way that you will not get along with everyone, they will not like you, some will even genuinely dislike you.

You see, what I’ve learned is that if everyone likes you, then you probably stand for nothing. If you’re in business, you have to make tough decisions with employees, customers, partners – there will be many times you won’t be liked.

I remember early in my sales career in the software industry when one of my mentors taught me to “always say, ‘I don’t know’ at least once.” Why? Because if you say yes to everything, your customer will probably think you’re lying. Similarly, if your focus is to befriend everyone in business, and you are worried about what people think, you may not go far. The customer is always important, but not always right. The same goes for your partners, team and employees. Therefore, you must learn to say “no” sometimes. You may have to disagree sometimes.

Does everyone like you or do you have some folks who don’t? If it’s the latter, you’re probably on the right track.

Terry Petzold is the managing director at ZRG Partners, LLC, a board member at the Warrior Network, and a board member at North Louisiana Economic Partnership.