Do You Know Who's On Top?

After you get your mind out of the gutter, when it comes to your career this question is serious business. Regardless of where you are in your career, who's on top matters. 

The "trickle down" effect. Take for example, Donald Sterling, owner of the Los Angeles Clippers. Recently there were reports that he heckles his players when they're not performing up to their potential. Not exactly a motivational speaker huh? Whoever is on top bleeds their personality and core values to everyone within the organization. As an employee, it's vital you get to know as much about the person in charge. Even if you never meet him/her face to face, you will know what they value based on how you are treated.

Choose respect over like. That means it's more important that you respect your boss than actually like him/her. It's not what they say, but what they do. Actions speak louder than words. If you truly respect your boss, there should be times you don't like him/her because they'll do what's best for the company, not just for you. On the other hand, if you really like your boss, but don't respect him/her, most likely you don't give 100% effort and the company suffers.

Look for growth opportunities. What is the company culture like? There's no harm in taking a lesser position if you know there's room to advance. On the flip side, if you are in it solely for the money, it will come back and bite you. A learning culture provides multiple ways to continuously grow their workers such as: coaches, workshops, conferences, training, etc. (Take a look at Google, Zappos & Dreamworks as examples) 

We've been told great organizations are flat, but that's a myth. All organizations need some form of vertical leadership to accomplish anything. The leader of a company drives the culture. The culture affects workers more than any other factor. Take some time to look up and figure out if you like respect what you see. What's on top will determine how you feel "below."

I'd like to hear your personal stories about good and bad leadership you've experienced. Please leave your comment below.