The best managers know how to party

by: January 27, 2014
 
Remember those days in your late teens and twenties?  Late nights, lively social scenes, foot-loose and fancy-free.  (That is unless you had been planning a career in politics and needed your past to be whiter than white.)
 
So what happened? Was it increased responsibilities at work and at home that eroded this part of your character? Was it the need to be taken seriously? Was it the gravitas with which you now need to conduct yourself? Or maybe you just weren’t that much fun in the first place?
 
Of course, while none of this applies to you dear reader, I’m sure you know a few people who meet the description. The senior execs, the colleagues 100% focused on their career ladder and no-one’s going to get in their way, the stern secretary acting as gate keeper to the big boss.
 
What I’m going to suggest here is perhaps a bit radical for some to accept but, having witnessed many managers, business owners and directors in action, I’m sure there is a direct correlation between those that are great leaders and their ability to party.
 
Truly great leaders are real people, who understand that the people who work for them are real people too.  Real people have multi-faceted personalities, and working hard and seriously is not the only thing in their life. Great leaders understand the social side of work, the relationship side. They have the personal confidence and emotional intelligence to not be serious all the time, to be able to listen to and empathise with others, to respect people for who they are. And maybe a good portion of that ability is developed through social interaction while partying.
 
So if you’ve forgotten how to do it, maybe it’s time to let your hair down again every so often, to be the real ‘you’, not the ‘you’ you think you’re expected to be.

 

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Paul is Zonata's founder and MD. He has a true passion for business and is massively excited by the opportunities that Zonata provides for its clients and partners. He loves helping owner-managed businesses be exceptionally successful, and enjoys the phenomenal quality of the people who work with him.

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