What Does Caring For Someone Mean?

What does caring for someone mean?

Letting someone off the hook and allowing them to become a hunk of shit...or at the very best far less than what they could have been?

OR

Pushing, prodding, poking, sculpting, holding them accountable, and demanding excellence of them so they develop the proper skills and habits to make something of themselves in this world?

In the answer lies one of the most misunderstood concepts I see in leadership.

This is the concept of “loving your people”.

Far too many people take this as “be nice” or “be gentle” or “be overly positive” with your people.

“Love” in a leadership context isn’t “being nice” or keeping your mouth shut and letting people “get by” without “bothering” them so they are friendly with you...

REAL LOVE is caring enough about someone to be relentless about teaching them the skills they need to go thrive in LIFE, setting a high standard, holding them accountable, demanding their very best, pushing them to improve daily, and giving them the tools & opportunity to build themselves the life they desire...sadly the world perceives this as “not nice” behavior.

It takes far less of an emotional & mental investment to be “nice” and let shit slide than it does to truly “love” someone and confront them repeatedly until they begin holding themselves to an appropriate standard.

Do you love your people? (Hold them accountable).

Do you love yourself? (Hold yourself accountable).

Or would you rather just “be nice” & “polite”.

I'm not hard on you because I think you're weak.

I'm hard on you because I know you're strong.

—Andy