The workplace is not always a democracy where everyone gets a vote, but good leaders are not dictators either.
Good leaders are humble and at the same time strong enough to know they don’t know everything.
They surround themselves with experts and accept the advice and council of others.
Good leaders will help focus this knowledge and energy and guide people toward the goal/objective.
Additionally, good leaders don’t elevate themselves above the team. They follow the same rules and guidelines as the team. They believe in the concepts of ‘practice what you preach’ and ‘lead by example,’ not ‘do what I say, not what I do.’ That doesn’t work for children, why do we think it would work for adults?
A leader that elevates themselves above the team breeds distrust and does not foster loyalty.
While you might enjoy some perks treating yourself better than your team, you won’t get the most from your team. It’s the sense of loyalty and the feeling your leader cares about you that motivates people to go above and beyond versus just doing the bare minimum to get by.
If you want consistent results, if you want successful projects, if you want people “all in,” then you as a leader must be “all in” for your team and not yourself.