“…you should strive to have the same relationship with every boss you ever work for, no matter if they are good or bad. Whether they are an outstanding leader whom you admire, a mediocre leader who needs improvement, or a terrible leader for whom no one on the team has respect, you must strive to for the same relationship with all of them.”

The Dichotomy of Leadership

This is a quote from page 221 in the book “The Dichotomy of Leadership” by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin. These two men served as U.S. Navy SEAL officers and share leadership principles they’ve used in the battlefield that apply to everyday life.

I’ve really enjoyed this book, the stories shared, and have a lot of respect for the authors.

The premise of this book is just great. I haven’t heard or read much straightforward text on the many dichotomies within leadership. And once addressed it seems like an obvious point. (I feel like great ideas and principles are often like this, very simple and seemingly obvious, after they are explained of course.)

One dichotomy, in particular, is that in order to be a good leader, you must also be a good follower. 

Because I define a leader as someone with influence, which encompasses everyone, leadership is not exclusive to those high up the corporate ladder to be a leader. This is a balance you likely face in your everyday life. Establishing that balance between leadership and followership can be heavily impacted by your relationship with your boss, which the book advises to include these three things:

1. They trust you.
2. They value and seek your opinion and guidance.
3. They give you what you need to accomplish your mission and then let you go execute.

No matter their ability as a leader, you must build a strong relationship with your boss, founded on trust and support. If you do that, you will succeed as a leader by enabling your team to succeed.

Because this is no easy task, and the unfortunate truth that most people do not have this relationship with their boss,  having this relationship will empower you to run circles around your peers and outperform everyone else. 

With that I impart on you a mission: build a better relationship, specifically the one detailed above, with your boss.