Some of the best leaders I’ve seen weren’t “comfortable” to work for, but they were clear, demanding, and deeply invested in their people's growth. They always knew where they stood, and they always knew what “good” looked like.
To me, none of this is toxic. It’s high-standards leadership with care underneath it. Teams don’t want softness, at least they shouldn't. They should be asking for clarity, challenge, and someone who believes they’re capable of more.
Solid breakdown on leadership nuance here. The emotinal unavailability bit really landed for me because I've seen managers who solve every problem for their team and it breeds dependency. Last year I stepped back from handholding on a project andthe team actually crushed it without constant input. Sometimes creating space for struggle builds way more capacity than constant support.
Belief is a much more powerful force than pressure. With belief people find their own paths instead of compliance and conformance
Great piece!
Much needed in a time when leadership narrative tortured it into a very fluffy thing.
Good leadership is though to be subjected to and make you do things you didn’t think were possible.
Reminds me of the movie Whiplash, where the music teacher pushes the student BEYOND anything he could have imagined.
Not an easy journey by all means!
As usual, a great article!
Some of the best leaders I’ve seen weren’t “comfortable” to work for, but they were clear, demanding, and deeply invested in their people's growth. They always knew where they stood, and they always knew what “good” looked like.
To me, none of this is toxic. It’s high-standards leadership with care underneath it. Teams don’t want softness, at least they shouldn't. They should be asking for clarity, challenge, and someone who believes they’re capable of more.
Thank you Ryan for sharing your thoughts.
Solid breakdown on leadership nuance here. The emotinal unavailability bit really landed for me because I've seen managers who solve every problem for their team and it breeds dependency. Last year I stepped back from handholding on a project andthe team actually crushed it without constant input. Sometimes creating space for struggle builds way more capacity than constant support.