I see it all the time — business owners and leaders getting stuck because they’re trying to be everyone’s best mate.
I get it. You want people to like you.
You want to be approachable, kind, fair.
You want a happy team, not a toxic one.
But here’s the uncomfortable truth:
If you lead with only empathy, you risk steering the business straight into the rocks.
At some point, leadership means making decisions that aren’t popular.
It means holding the vision and demanding standards are maintained, even when it’s uncomfortable.
It means thinking beyond today’s emotions and doing what’s right for the future of the business.
I learned this the hard way years ago.
I had a brilliant member of staff — loyal, fun, heart in the right place.
But they were in the wrong role.
Deep down, I knew it. They knew it too.
I delayed the conversation for months because I didn’t want to upset them.
Guess what happened?
The work suffered.
The team started to notice.
Resentment built up quietly underneath the surface.
When I finally had the tough conversation, they said:
“I was waiting for you to say something. I wasn’t happy either.”
Lesson learned: you’re not doing people any favours by avoiding hard truths.
You’re just dragging out the pain.
Leading with empathy is essential.
But empathy without strategy is just emotional noise.
And strategy without empathy?
You won’t get buy-in. Your team won’t be engaged, enrolled, inspired.
Their behaviour will be transactional.
People don’t follow spreadsheets — they follow people.
The best leaders bring both to the table.
They care. They listen.
But they also lead with clarity of vision and strategy, make the tough calls, and hold the line when it matters.
If anything here feels a little close to home, good.
It means you’re growing into the kind of leader your business needs you to be.
Here’s a question for you to chew on this week:
🔹 Where are you leading with too much empathy and not enough strategy?
🔹 And where are you hiding behind strategy instead of connecting properly with your people?
Get the balance right — and you’ll not only build a stronger business, you’ll build a team that actually wants to follow you there.
