Why is Loyalty the Most Important Trait of a Good Leader?

September 14, 2019: Question Series #17

Written By: Marc Moskowitz

I used to be a skeptic on how loyalty played a role for a leader and within an organization or team. However, that all has changed for me over the last ten years. I used loyalty as the biggest factor in deciding whom to work for, when I had little else but third-party hearsay to go on. The decision turned out to be an excellent one for my career and my ability to do my job well. Seeing how well this worked out, I’ll continue to use loyalty in the future, as a key way to make decisions for myself and to evaluate the managers/leaders who work on my future teams.

Naturally, you will have some questions about the short story above and why it’s become so important to me. Since this is the Question Series, let me go ahead and answer those for you, so you, too, can use loyalty to improve your decision making and leadership.

What is loyalty in the realm of business and a team? There are many definitions you can apply to loyalty, but let’s start with Merriam-Webster dictionary:

Loyalty: the quality or state or an instance of being loyal

Loyal: unswerving in allegiance

Some of the examples given include being loyal to one’s sovereign or government, being loyal to a private person to whom faithfulness is due, and being loyal to a cause, ideal, or custom. In the case of the business world, we’re likely looking at a combination of a private person and a cause (company, team, or work history), but with no natural or obvious reason to default our loyalty (collecting a paycheck doesn’t count either, as you can collect one from many places, and loyalty to a company or leader often means smaller paychecks). It is for this precise reason, as to why it’s extremely hard to build loyalty in the business world.

Defining loyalty in the business world is an inexact science, but we can start with people wanting to follow you as a leader. Once you have followers, it’s their willingness to do anything that is needed to make you and the team better that is the next sign. At this point, your followers are truly part of the cause, whatever it may be. Finally, the true test of loyalty in the business world is, what happens when the wheels fall of the bus and things go wrong? Do your followers have your back? Do they run for the hills? Do they throw you under the bus with no wheels? Will they give you a second chance? Does the leader have the backs of his/her team? Would the followers want to work for the leader again in a different company or on a different team? These questions and their answers are the true definition of loyalty in the business world.

Why is loyalty so important to a leader? Finding good people with excellent skills in the business world is extremely difficult. Every manager will tell you that finding top performers, keeping them happy, and keeping them from leaving is their top priority. As you work throughout your career, if you want to become a big leader, you need to build a loyal following. The reasons for doing so are fairly obvious. You want the best and brightest people to follow you from place to place, but even more importantly, you want your most loyal employees (assuming they are average to above average workers) to come along, as well. They help you build instant credibility and typically give your teams a can-do attitude that is contagious. It was exactly this type of employee that had me hooked, when I used the loyalty card to decide on a taking that job or not. Further, it is these loyal employees that are sometimes just as important as or more important than the top performers. Every great team needs them.

Another reason why you want loyal employees as a leader is that you should want to hear the truth at all times, no matter if it’s pretty, ugly, or indifferent. Loyal employees are less likely to sugar coat and/or blow smoke. They use loyalty as their currency and aren’t afraid to speak the truth. As a leader, these types of employees are extremely valuable and will help make you better.

Finally, it’s the tough times when things go wrong that loyalty is really important to a leader. No one is perfect, people make mistakes, and even the best leaders of the biggest companies mess up from time to time. It’s these times that loyal employees and their leader can really help each other out. Teams are usually willing to forgive leadership mistakes when they know their leader will do the same for them. In fact, one of the best traits of a great leader is unequivocally having the back of each of their team members when bad things happen. This doesn’t mean there isn’t a lesson to learn or behaviors to change, it simply means that the leader covers for them outside of the immediate team. It also means doing a professional job of coaching them thereafter.

How can you spot loyalty? Now that you know why loyalty is so important to a leader, how can you spot the leaders that have a loyal following? This is not necessarily an easy question to answer, and the answers are typically not obvious. However, with a little digging and some good questions, you can typically find out what you are dealing with. Here are the top few ways to spot loyalty:

How long have people been on the leader’s current team or past teams? You don’t need to look for 10+ years or anything silly like that, but if you find several employees that are in the three-to-five-year range, they are doing something right. If the leader is new to your organization, this might be a tough find, but you can ask around about their past teams. If a leader is not good, you typically won’t see people sticking around for three or more years. They’ll go and find another role within the company or leave altogether.

Have people followed them from company to company or project to project within a company? This is a really big key. The best leaders will have a core group of people that want to follow them from company to company or within a large-sized company. It’s a core trait that I’ve seen, especially in successful executives. Listen for stories about their wolf pack or inner circle constantly moving with them.

Have people had several different kind of roles for the leader, without necessarily getting a promotion or moving teams? This pattern is a bit harder to see, but when you see key people changing roles, moving laterally, and putting on a lot of different hats, but not getting promoted that is a really good sign of loyalty. It usually means they are more interested in staying on a particular team than moving on up, just for the sake of it. Make sure and double-check that it’s not a low-performing employee, as sometimes organizations like to move around the role of a low-performer, hoping they magically start performing like Pavarotti. In a well-run company, this risk should be low.

Are they a talent multiplier who grows leaders and then lets people join other teams, if it is best for their careers? This is a really great indicator of a loyal and high-performing leader. It seems counter-intuitive at first, but think about the confidence it takes for a leader to let a high-performer go and get a promotion elsewhere! This behavior pattern drives long-term loyalty, trust, and is really good for the organization. Good karma always comes back around, and that is why great leaders will never get in the way of a great employee making their way upwards. I’d bet many paychecks that the first opportunity that employee has to reunite with said leader, they will do so.

How do they treat the lowest level person on the team and/or within the greater organization? This is a big one for me. A great leader who builds loyalty among his/her people will treat everyone with respect and make them feel important on a regular basis. From the executive assistant, to the interns, to the security staff, everyone has a role to play, and great leaders not only know this, but show others how it’s done. Every one of the best leaders I’ve had the honor of working with share this trait. Run fast from those leaders who are always too busy for the little guys and/or don’t treat them with the same respect as the CEO.

Do they have fun doing the little things with the team? Somewhat related to the point above, does the leader like to get in the weeds with the team when they can? It’s not always possible, but good leaders will find situations to sit with their teams and help solve lower-level problems. It not only shows they are in the battle with the team, but doing it keeps them sharp and closer to the action. Further, if they can have a laugh with the team, it builds lasting trust, loyalty, and team stories. The leader gets double points if they go outside of work from time to time and have fun with the team.

What can you do to build loyalty within your team? So, now that you know why loyalty is so important for a leader and how to spot it in others, let’s talk about how you can grow loyalty within your team. It typically doesn’t come quickly, but if you start doing some of the things we were looking for above, you can build a loyal following throughout your career. Here are the top things you can do, starting today (in no particular order, as they are all important):

Let your team know, on a regular basis, that they can make mistakes and you’ll have their back. It’s as simple as that.

Be a talent multiplier and never block anyone from leaving your team if they are getting a promotion. In fact, celebrate these moves with the entire team! It’s amazing what that will do while building a high-performing and loyal team. I’ve had many employees get promoted off of my various teams, and happily come back later on when the time and role was right for them and for my team!

Make sure to participate in the little things, and be there for them during long hours, emergencies, and other general craziness. Doing these things goes a long way with your team, even if you can’t contribute much to the effort. It’s knowing that you are there for them and willing do whatever you can, that makes all the difference in the world.

Have fun doing the little things mentioned above. Some of the most enjoyable moments at work have happened spending time with my teams working on tedious or lower-level tasks. This is especially true during emergencies, tight deadlines, or unexpected assignments.

Do at least one, offsite, team-building event a year and have some fun. It doesn’t have to be crazy expensive or anything like that. Just get out and do it. Spend some time learning from each other, doing a fun activity, and learning about your team’s personal interests. Long-term trust and excellent stories grow extra fast during these events. Your team will also appreciate the effort you went through to make it happen and get them away from the normal grind. Maybe they will learn something, too!

So, why is loyalty the most important trait of a good leader? Hopefully it’s a bit clearer now that I have answered the question from my perspective and given you ways to spot a leader with a loyal following. Take the suggestion action items above, add your own spices, and I think you’ll have a recipe for success!

What do you think? Thanks for reading!

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