I once had a business owner as client, who for the sake of this article I’ll call Jack. Jack joined one of our leadership sessions visibly frustrated by a particular meeting, so he began telling me the story. All of the C-suite leaders in his company had gathered to discuss quarterly results, and Jack started speaking about what was working and what wasn’t. When he finished and asked everyone for their perspective on the results and the improvements needed, something unexpected happened. No one said a word.
That was Jack’s perception of the story. What he didn’t know was that a few of those same C-suite leaders had also described the meeting to me, and there was another side to it. Most of them, although using slightly different language, described Jack’s aggressive approach, his accusatory rhetoric around the drop in KPIs, and the feeling that their work was being dismissed as inadequate.
And guess what happens when someone acts like that?
Deadly silence.
Strong circle, strong organisation
More often than not, deadly silence speaks louder than words. And when I say deadly, I am not exaggerating. A situation where nobody speaks can slowly become fatal for a company.
In this case, Jack’s approach was wrong. He had a fault in all this because he had intentionally surrounded himself with C-suite leaders who were quieter, more agreeable, and less likely to challenge him, whilst at the same time feeling baffled as to why they behaved exactly like that when their opinions genuinely mattered.
This is why I constantly emphasise to business owners, startup founders, and CEOs that they need a strong circle around them. A circle that will challenge them when they are wrong, suggest better ways forward, and carry out the work without requiring constant approval at every step.
The strongest organisations are rarely built around one dominant voice. They are built around leaders who create space for other capable people to think, contribute, and challenge ideas openly.
Unfortunately, this is not always easy for people with fragile egos to accept. The thought of bringing someone into the business who is equally strong, or perhaps even stronger in certain areas, can feel deeply uncomfortable. But leadership maturity begins the moment someone understands that hiring intelligent, capable people is not a threat to their authority, but one of the clearest signs of confidence and long-term vision.
At some point, leaders simply need to get over themselves for both the business and the people within it to truly thrive. And this has plenty to do with integrity you have, and the integrity you expect your people to have, because if you are the one that chooses then you need to raise the awareness on who needs to be there, to challenge you and help you carry the load.
You have the right to be challenged
I am going to be the first to admit that being criticised is not the most enjoyable experience for me either. I too enjoy recognition and moments of glory. But at the same time, I know that if nobody speaks up, I can become my own worst enemy. And after years of doing this work, I have realised that this applies to everyone, regardless of their status or position.
If you take a family as a smaller example, there has to be enough trust amongst family members for people to speak honestly, but with empathy, so the intention behind the words can actually be heard. Businesses are not so different. The circle around the owner or CEO needs to be strong, and as I often say, when you build a business, you have earned the right to be challenged.
Being challenged is a blessing. You are no longer trapped in your own internal narrative. There is feedback. The conversation exists openly amongst capable people, and I do not believe any company has ever suffered from having strong leaders around the table. That being said, strong leadership should never be confused with aggression or brute force. Real leadership is a combination of strategic thinking, wisdom, emotional intelligence, and the soft skills needed to communicate effectively across every level of the organisation. If you have that, you are sitting on a goldmine.
Encourage it. Build a culture around it.
Because when people feel safe enough to challenge ideas, contribute, and take ownership, the KPIs discussed in those quarterly meetings are far less likely to disappoint.
As for Jack, it took time for him to fully recognise the flaws in the way he was building his organisation and leading the people around him. But he got there eventually, if you are wondering how the story ended.
I hope that no matter what you are trying to build, your story will be successful too.