"If you just set out to be liked, you would be prepared to compromise on anything at any time, and you would achieve nothing."
The key to Thatcher's statement above, isn't simply to be a disagreeable character not liked by anybody, that's not her point. Her point is that if your major motivator is to be liked, you'll never achieve anything, as you'll base everything you do on whether someone else approves of it. That would be a disaster from a leadership perspective, or really any perspective for that matter.
Wanting to be liked means that you must compromise on just about anything. The result is sameness and making decisions based on the lowest common denominator. There's enough of that in the business world already. That's why there's so many average companies and copycat ideas that add nothing new.
What we must all understand, is when we set about to do something different or unique, you've already set the stage and circumstances to not be liked. It's as simple as that. We must come to the place where it doesn't matter whether we're liked or not. Once we get there, we're ready to possibly do something great and different.
The reason people want you to feel the pressure to be liked, is so you can't differentiate and allow a contrast between them and you be revealed. That's one of the reasons socialism in all its forms fails so deeply and consistently. They don't want someone to be different from the pack they attempt to create.
This doesn't mean we have to be outrageous for no other reason than to be outrageous. Although in a limited number of fields that could work ... for example, some music artists.
It's better to battle through things step by step, and let someone prove you wrong, than it is to give in to make life easier for someone else, and so make them like you better.
If we ever have to give in, let it be from someone proving us wrong through rigorous proofs, than allowing them to run over us. We'll be more success if we hold to what we truly believe, and work hard to make it happen, than to be moved by every disagreement and idea thrown out in an attempt to contradict us.
In the end, it's what we accomplish that counts, not whether we win a popularity contest or not.
One caveat here: I'm not talking about treating people badly, just pointing out we need not make decisions or change ideas based upon how workers respond to what you want or you see needs to be done.
Margaret Thatcher Resources:
The Best Quotes From Margaret Thatcher's 'Statecraft'
Margaret Thatcher & the Revival of the West
Interview with Margaret Thatcher
Magaret Thatcher's Life in the Shadows
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