"Surround yourself with radiators, not drains," said the FD. Which I did, following their advice to build a highly profitable award-winning team. We were great at the things we were great at – and pretty poor at the things we were poor at.
This is my first issue with the radiator/drain school of thought – that it can lead to surrounding yourself with people you’re comfortable with and who are too much like you in terms of skillset and outlook.
My second issue is that it lets leaders off the hook.
It fails to recognise that as a leader it’s your job to find the on-switch, to light people up in a way that will indeed have them radiating energy and enthusiasm.
Authentic, transparent and yes, potentially difficult conversations are often the first step to improving a situation.
But if you don’t accept that the ball’s in your court, it might be your leadership hopes that get flushed down the drain.