You Shouldn’t Do This if You’re a Leader

Summary

• Yelling at people takes less skill than properly training them.
• When I worked at Subway at 15, my boss only knew how to yell at me.
• Positive reinforcement is harder for people to understand and implement.
• Punishing people is easier but it shows a lack of intelligence and effort.
• Using punishment doesn't make you a better leader; it just means you're being lazy.

Video

How To Take Action

I would suggest implementing positive reinforcement in your interactions with your team or even with yourself. Instead of focusing on punishing mistakes, highlight and reward the good behaviors you want to see.

A good way of doing this is by acknowledging small wins. If someone does a task well, let them know you appreciate it. This could be as simple as saying, "Great job on that report!" or giving a small reward, like a coffee voucher.

For personal growth, use positive self-talk. When you achieve a small goal, celebrate it. Say to yourself, "I'm proud I finished that task," instead of dwelling on what you didn’t accomplish.

Another easy, low-cost strategy is to set clear expectations. When people know what's expected of them, they're more likely to meet those expectations. If you’re running a small business, take the time to train your staff properly. Instead of just telling them what not to do, show them how to do it right.

Spend time building relationships. Simple gestures like asking how someone’s day is going can make a big difference. When people feel valued, they’re more motivated and productive.

Remember, being a good leader or improving yourself doesn't mean being tough or hard on others. It means being smart about how you guide and encourage good behaviors. Make the effort to invest in positive reinforcement, and you’ll see better results over time.

Full Transcript

yelling at people takes less skill than properly training people so people are more able to do this for example when I worked at Subway when I was 15 that was my first job I was a sarst uh when I was there I know I smelled like ham all the time uh it was pretty gross anyways my boss you know what she knew to do yell at me because if I go to someone and I'm like hey I want you to positively reinforce a behavior you want more of they're like got it and then they don't do it because they're like what does that mean but if I'm like hey yell at them if they do something wrong they're like amazing got it it takes less intelligence to punish people than it does to positively reinforce people it doesn't mean that you're like a badass that you're cool that you're like oh I'm just laying down the law it's like no no no you're being lazy