Helping leaders motivate their people to a higher level of performance through strong human relations, team building, and golajving. This is the seven minute Leadership Podcast with your host Paul fella Aledo.
Hello everyone, and welcome to this seven minute leadership podcast. It's episode four twenty nine. Let's talk about hate because this episode isn't going to be about the fluffy stuff. This one's about the raw fire that makes someone get out of bed and show up. A few weeks ago, I was having a discussion with one of my lieutenants and he said something that stopped me in my tracks. During a conversation about poor performance on his shift. He wanted to know how does he convey this message to
his team. I want you to hate losing. I want you to hate not giving your best. I want you to hate not going the extra mile. I want you to hate not giving a damn. Now, before you get turned off by the word hate, let's break this down because this isn't about spreading negativity. It's about building a mindset that refuses to settle for average. So let's go line by line. I want you to hate losing. Not everyone is wired to be competitive, but in leadership, you
better learn to be. This isn't about scoreboard watching or trying to beat your coworkers. It's about losing time, losing opportunity, losing momentum, and most of all, losing trust. When you accept a loss without reflection or fire in your gut, you're telling your team that losing is a part of the culture. But when you hate it, when you analyze it, own it, and vow to never feel it again, that's leadership.
I want you to hate not giving your best. Let's be honest, there are days when we coast, days when we just show up and do the bare minimum, but that mindset adds up. You don't drift into greatness. You don't accidentally build a winning team. If your name is on the schedule, if you're being paid to show up, then your best should walk through that door with you. Anything less that should eat at you because your standard is what sets the tone for the whole team. I
want you to hate not going the extra mile. We've all seen it, the trash left on the floor of the customer or patient left waiting the shift change with zero communication. Going the extra mile doesn't always show up in your paycheck, but it always shows up in your reputation. In leadership, the extra mile is never crowded because most people quit at mile one, But that second mile, that's where respect is earned, Teams are built, and leaders are remembered.
I want you to hate not giving a damn. This might be the most powerful line of all, because if you don't care, if you're indifferent, than you're a liability, not just to the company but to the people who count on you. Not giving a damn doesn't just damage performance, It damages trust, culture, momentum, and it spreads like wildfire. When a leader says I want you to hate not giving a damn, they're saying we need people who care
so much that it physically bothers them to underperform. People who take pride in their name, their station, their responsibility. People care loudly. Let me bring this back around. Every organization has people at different levels of effort. There are rock stars, there are passes, and then there are anchors. And you know what, sometimes the anchor doesn't even realize they're dragging the boat. They've normalized average, they've built comfort
in low expectations. But a great leader shakes that loose. A great leader challenges that person with fire. Not handholding. Sometimes leadership isn't gentle. Sometimes it's direct, it's uncomfortable, and it sounds like I want more from you. I want you to be better, I want you to care. If you're in a leadership role and you've got someone on your team going through the motions, it might be time to use this exact script. I want you to hate losing.
I want you to hate giving anything less than your best. I want you to hate not going the extra mile. I want you to hate not giving a damn those four sentences. That's a standard, that's a culture, that's a mindset, and that, my friend, friends, is leadership. This has been the seven minute Leadership Podcast, and I thank you for listening.
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