~by Haley Lynn Gray~

Leadership is all fun and games. Until it’s not.

Being a leader, and being in a leadership position is about making hard decisions.  It means that even when the going gets tough – and sometimes it really does get tough – you’re willing to step in and do what needs to be done. For me, that has manifested several times in my life. One of the most painful, and most recent was when my dad was dying. I knew he would die either way, but my family had a tough decision to make to not prolong his agony, or pursue aggressive treatment.

Sometimes making hard decisions comes in the business environment. It can take a lot of forms. It gets very difficult once someone has been hired. Because you get to know them. When it really sucks is when you find out that you’ve made a hiring mistake and need to let someone go. Then you become the bad guy. It doesn’t matter that the person was a bad match for the team, or that they just aren’t working out. You still have to deliver bad news, and it’s bad news that affects someone’s livelihood. It is hard. It sucks. Sometimes leadership is about making hard decisions, very hard decisions. They are hard decisions, but they are the right decisions for the business. Remember, in the work environment, it’s not personal, even though the effect can be very personal. You need to keep that message clear- it’s not personal.

I’ve had several people who worked for me who were not a good fit for the team, who I still liked very well. I let them know that I still liked them. I still respected them, even though they would no longer still be working for me. In every case, it was a tough decision, but it was the right decision for the business. It also turned out to be a great decision for the individual, because each of them went out and found something that was a better fit for them in the long run.

What do you think?

Meet the Author: Haley Lynn Gray

Haley helps female entrepreneurs create a strategy plan for their businesses – so they can make enough money to spend quality time with their family, pay for their children’s dance lessons, pay bills – and not worry about where the next client is coming from.

Haley is a serial entrepreneur and founder of Leadership Girl. She helps other entrepreneurs build their businesses by sharing the benefits of her business education and experience through Business Coaching.

Whether you want to get a new business off the ground or expand an existing business, Haley can assist you.

Connect with Haley:

• Work with Haley
• Facebook Page: @Leadershipgirl
• LinkedIn:  Haley Gray