Word count: 566

Summary: Leaders can achieve more results if they create an environment in which people are ardently committed to leaders' cause. A key factor in creating this environment is developing a critical convergence, joining of leaders' enthusiasms and people's into a single force for success.

In Leadership, The Critical Convergence Drives Great Results by Brent Filson

The Leader's Fallacy lives! We subscribe to Fallacy when we believe our enthusiasm over a particular leadership challenge is automatically reciprocated by people we lead.

If ignorance is bliss then leaders going around blithely adhering to Leader's Fallacy have cornered market on happiness.

The truth is, it's more realistic to believe in INVERSE RECIPROCITY: i.e., whatever motivates you, "DE-motivates" people.

That's especially so for leaders who are trying to motivate people to meet extraordinary challenges.

You'll never know how good you are as a leader unless you are motivating others to be better than they think they are. In that endeavor, you'll inevitably get at least some of people angry.

Most people are settled into a comfortable status quo and resist and resent being challenged to break out.

But if you aim to get great results, people not only have to be pushed but more importantly, they must be challenged to push themselves.

So, if you're not getting some people angry with you over pushing, you're doing something wrong as a leader, you're not challenging people enough.

Coaching employees on sensitive and personal topics like performance or contribution to organization can be as difficult and agonizing as telling a young son or daughter about sex for first time. You end up playing same mental games in your head over and over again: “What should they be told? How much do they already know? (Or how much do they want me to think they know?) How much detail should I go into?” If you are unable to answer any of these penetrating questions, you tend to put task off for another six months. Eventually, you discover harsh reality that there is very little they are unaware of, but a lot they don’t know.

Nearly everyone feels uncomfortable when coaching employees, yet few are willing to admit that they feel ambivalent or inadequate. Many leaders who say, with some pride, that they have no hesitation, often approach job like a bulldozer (over aggressively). In fact, coaching employees is risky (you may lose control of situation), and you are vulnerable (you have to substantiate your case, and your leadership style may be questioned by employee). Consequently you exaggerate your worst fears, you get uptight, you spend night before discussion is to take place worrying, and you try to figure out ways to avoid or postpone it. But deep down, you know that this isn’t a helpful strategy.

Many leaders will rationalize that issue or concern isn’t worth time or effort of a coaching session. But this comes back to haunt them later when employee’s work is put under microscope of others (their boss, customers, regulatory agencies, etc.) when employees position is considered for advancement, at performance appraisal time, or during crucial high-exposure stages of an important project. At these time, earlier hesitation ends up directly costing both leader and employee.