“I don’t know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody.”  – Bill Cosby

Good leadership requires making tough choices that are sometimes going to be unpopular.  First, you must have followers who want to follow you and that means earning the trust and respect of these individuals.  And, the best way to do that is to be honest and fair, even when it requires doing something unpleasant.

For instance, it is your responsibility to recruit and retain good team members.  It is also your responsibility to release (okay, fire) team members who refuse to operate as team players.  Remember the old saying about one bad apple?

In the long run you will gain the respect of the team members who are working hard to display a good attitude and perform as team players.  Besides, I’ve known employees to burst into a chorus of “Ding dong the wicked witch (or warlock) is dead” after losing a “grouchy” team member!