This Week’s Work Problem: being the "cool boss" only works in the movies
Being labeled as "the cool boss" is a gift until your team starts treating accountability like it's optional.
Hey y’all. It has been a week, and it is only Wednesday. My coffee machine decided to quit on me this week— no warning or goodbye, just gone like 🎶“GOODBYE TO YOUUUUU. ”🎶
I actually met Michelle Branch a few weeks back. Super cool experience.
But anyways the universe knew I needed to slow down because this week’s submission had me thinking: What happens when you’re such a good leader that your team forgets there’s actually a job to do? I have some thoughts.
The situation:
I’m a coaching-style leader. I like building real relationships with my team — the kind where we can laugh together and still get things done. But lately, people have been slipping on their work, and when I dig into why, it almost always comes back to them just not being in the mood. I’ve always been the type to pull out what’s going on and help redirect, but I’m running low on energy and ideas. I have my own stuff to deal with, and I can’t keep carrying everyone emotionally while also trying to hold them accountable. I’ve started issuing performance trackers just to keep things moving, and it doesn’t feel like me, even when I try to make it feel collaborative. I just want my team to do their jobs so we can get back to the dynamic that actually works.
