Leadership Trait of the Day: LOYALTY

Loyalty is a trait that many Leaders and aspiring Leaders get wrong – it is not about your people being loyal to you, it is about you being loyal to your people.  Don’t get me wrong, as a Leader, you need to be loyal to your seniors, but the Leadership Trait of Loyalty is about your being loyal down the chain of command.

Leadership requires a relationship of trust.  You have to trust your people, and they have to trust you.  There are many ways for a Leader to build trust – making good decisions, being competent, etc. – but nothing works as well as being loyal to your people.  When you are loyal, people know you have their backs, which means they know you trust them.  They will return this trust and loyalty in kind.  It is human nature trust and support those who trust and support you. 

Think about your personal life.  Your friends are loyal to you and vice-versa.  Not many people will remain friends with someone who stabs them in the back or throws them under the bus. 

Yet, when we get into a professional environment, the concept of support and loyalty gets forgotten.  We often hear “it’s a dog eat dog world;” “look out for yourself;” etc.  We foster this idea that life has to be about competition – this belief that the only way to climb the corporate ladder is to step on people.  The sad truth is, that this brutal “all for me” mentality works … but only to a point.  

Stop and think about the best Leader you have had – were they selfish?  Did they throw their subordinates and peers to the wolves?  Probably not.  Great Leaders are loyal – to everyone.  I have had fantastic Leaders throughout my Marine Corps career, but the best may have been the colonel I worked for in Afghanistan three years ago.  He was fantastic on many, many levels.  But one of his greatest strengths was that I knew 100% that he had my back.  I will never forget what that type of Loyalty feels like.  Because he was loyal to me, not only was I loyal back, I was able to throw myself into my job because I never had to worry about being second guessed. 

That is why Great Leaders are loyal to their people.  When you are loyal to your subordinates, they are not afraid of making decisions, they feel like they can be aggressive and creative, and they can put all of their energy into their jobs.  This is why a team lead by a loyal Leader will always outperform a team led by a disloyal leader. 

Click through for some suggestions of how you can be a more loyal Leader.

Loyalty is key to Marines.  Our very motto – Semper Fidelis: Always Faithful – means unswerving loyalty to the Corps, our fellow Marines, and our mission.  Here are some of the ways that Marines are taught to be Loyal Leaders:

Never throw anyone under the bus.  Do not criticize a team member in front of others and avoid pointing out their errors.  As a leader you should protect your people from criticism.  When you need to correct them, do it behind closed doors. 

Take Responsibility for the Team’s Failures.  Hand in hand with avoiding criticism is the Leader’s job to “take one for the team.”  If your team screws something up, you tell your supervisor that it is your fault. 

Never leave anyone behind. Instill in your team the belief that every person on the team is as important as the next.  Include everyone in the celebration of success.  And don’t blame any one person for a failure.   

Never lie to you people.  Loyalty is built on trust.  If your people don’t believe you’re being forthcoming with them, they won’t trust you to have their backs.  If you have bad news, deliver it, don’t hold it back.    

Support your people unconditionally.  Don’t turn your back on them if they mess up.  Help them figure it out, and be as loyal during the bad times as during the good.  Pull aside someone who has had a bad day and give that person ten minutes of your time.  Make it clear that he or she still fits into the future of your company.

Trust your people.  When managers do not trust their subordinates, they send out all sorts of signals.  Not passing along significant responsibilities and withholding important information from employees are two signals that convey a lack of confidence in and commitment to your employees. When this occurs, employees perceive that they are not meaningful to the success of the department.  They sense that their manager is not to be trusted.  Without trust, there can be no true loyalty.

It is not always easy to be loyal; it is risky to put your faith in others.  But, if your want to be a Great Leader, you need to take that plunge.  Are you ready?