Puppy Love

Copyright © 2004 by Don Blohowiak
Don@LeadWell.com www.LeadWell.com

People who don't own dogs sometimes look derisively at dog owners as pathetic people who need unconditional love from an animal. They have it exactly backwards.

I've been watching people respond to my pup—a hybrid commonly used as a therapy dog—and here's what I've observed: People love interacting with the dog, not for the love he gives them, but for the love they can extend to him!

And that applies to leadership how?

Directly, I think.

Many people who complain about their boss have a boss who doesn't receive—or rebuffs—their goodwill, their positive, dare I say, affections.

Now, if you've read many of my other articles here, you know that I'm not at all partial to the warm 'n' fuzzy school of management. So save the comments about how a boss's job is not to win a popularity contest. Granted. Agreed.

But that surely doesn't extend to mean that a boss should strive to be unpopular; or should reject the genuinely positive feelings his or her staff would otherwise extend to the occupant of the corner office.

There's a marked difference between maintaining a healthy distance from overly familiar relationships with your associates, and carrying on in a way that unnecessarily isolates you from them.

People who contend otherwise are just barking up the wrong tree.