"It's Lonely at the top" is a myth

People say it's lonely at the top, but that's not true. If you are in a position of influence and you are lonely, you are doing it wrong.

Your job is to inspire, educate, encourage, and solve problems together. Your job is set expectations and develop an environment where people feel they have the freedom to actively seek out better ways of doing things without fear of retribution. When you find those better ways, you should implement them quickly so people can see that their effort will produce rewards.

You will occasionally encounter people who simply refuse to conform or contribute. Because of this you must hold people accountable for their actions and encourage the team to do the same with each other. When toxic teammates, who are unwilling to contribute surface they should be dealt with. They are the minority so don't make it a practice of setting more rules every time one person strays. Deal with that person individually without slamming the hammer down on the rest of your team. If the decision makers don't deliberately create the right culture - a culture that centers around words like "we", "us", and "family" - the team will rapidly plunge into the decay stage.

The practice of treating an entire team as if they are beneath you has to stop. Focus on developing a better environment and you will see people’s attitudes improve along with their level of contribution. It's never lonely at the top of a winning team.

~ Step Up and Lead!