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Key Takeaways
- Leadership challenges often arise from making necessary, but unpopular decisions to lead an organization to long-term success.
- Prioritizing approval over purpose can undermine a leader’s credibility, causing indecisiveness and loss of trust among team members.
- Effective leadership involves clear communication, consistency and empathy in navigating tough challenges, ensuring respect and lasting impact on fleeting popularity.
Leadership is not a popularity contest. At some point, every leader faces the moment when doing what’s right for the organization conflicts with doing what people want to hear.
That moment tests courage. It tests belief, but also determines whether a leader leads for approval or for impact.
Unpopular decisions can range from restructuring teams, cutting budgets, ending long-running projects or changing the direction of the company. These choices have weight. They create discomfort. They often provoke resistance. But without them, progress stagnates and organizations stagnate.
A great leader faces these moments with clarity and confidence.
Related: Why the Most Effective Leaders Don’t Scream the Loudest – They Conduct
The price of popularity in leadership
The desire to be liked is deeply human. Leaders are no exception. But prioritizing popularity over purpose comes with real costs.
When leaders prioritize approval above all else, their decisions become diluted. Instead of pursuing the best path forward, they seek consensus at all costs. This leads to:
- Indecision: Constantly postponing choices for fear of backlash.
- Short-term reconciliation. Choosing what pleases today instead of what will last tomorrow.
- Loss of trust. Teams eventually recognize when leaders avoid tough decisions. Respect erodes, even though the ‘liking’ persists.
It’s tempting to equate being liked with being trusted, but they’re not the same. Trust is earned through consistency and integrity. Popularity can change depending on the mood of the moment.
The myth of popularity in leadership
True leadership requires prioritizing the bigger picture. That may mean making a decision that frustrates or disappoints some in the short term, but strengthens the organization in the long term. People want to be leaders because, on some conscious or unconscious level, they want to be liked and popular among their peers. But this is very rare, especially for the great leaders.
Instead, leaders should value respect over approval. Respect is not about always agreeing. It’s about recognizing a leader’s honesty, consistency and willingness to act with integrity.
If Zev Gilboa states, “There is a difference between popularity and respect. Popularity is doing what people want, and respect is doing what people need.”
For example, a leader who restructures a department may initially face criticism. But if that decision helps the company survive and thrive, respect grows. Over time, people often come to appreciate the difficult choices, even if they didn’t like them at the time.
Related: The three-step framework for leading with clarity and confidence
How to deal with unpopularity: practical steps
Making a difficult decision is part of leadership. Navigating the aftermath is another. Here are some practical ways leaders can deal with these moments:
1. Be clear about the ‘why’
People can accept hard news if they understand the reasoning behind it. Leaders must clearly explain the purpose of the decision, the factors being considered, and the bigger picture it serves.
2. Communicate early and honestly
Silence breeds rumors. Leaders should not wait until the last minute to announce decisions. Early, transparent communication minimizes speculation and builds trust, even in the most challenging circumstances. According to Newswise reporting on the investigation “New research examines how leaders explain unpopular decisions”they found that: “Research has consistently shown that explanations can help reduce the criticism and moral outrage that managers face when making unpopular decisions.”
3. Recognize the impact
Unpopular decisions often have real consequences for individuals and teams. When a leader takes the time to acknowledge this reality rather than dismiss it, it shows empathy. Recognizing the human impact softens resistance and creates space for understanding.
4. Stay consistent
Clarity is the basis of trust. Mixed messages undermine credibility, and once a decision is made, leaders must stick to it with firm conviction. Changing direction under pressure not only signals weakness, but also fuels insecurity within the team.
5. Create space for dialogue
Allowing people to express their frustration or ask questions does not undo the choice, but rather validates their experience and maintains respect.
6. Model confidence without arrogance
Trust reassures teams that the leader believes in the way forward. Arrogance, on the other hand, ignores concerns and suppresses feedback, eroding trust. The true balance lies in trust anchored in empathy, where conviction and compassion come together. These steps do not make unpopular decisions “popular.” But they help teams process these in a constructive way and maintain the trust needed to move forward together.
The strength you find in difficult decisions
Unpopular decisions often define a leader’s legacy. Teams rarely remember the easy decisions, but they do remember the difficult ones.
When leaders prioritize the bigger picture over short-term approval, they demonstrate courage. They show that leadership is about taking responsibility.
Over time, the most difficult decisions often earn the utmost respect. Teams notice when a leader values integrity over applause. They see when choices are made to protect the long-term health of the organization, even at personal cost.
Related: This Is the Leadership Superpower of 2025 – Do You Have What It Takes?
Conclusion
The ultimate measure of leadership is not how many people like the leader at any given time. What matters is how effectively the leader guides the organization toward its mission.
Popularity may be rewarding in the short term, but respect lasts longer.
Leaders must remember: Making tough decisions is not a failure of leadership. It is the essence of it. The courage to prioritize the greater good, communicate honestly, and deal with resistance with empathy is what separates strong leaders from weak leaders.
Ultimately, teams don’t need leaders who always say what they want to hear. They need leaders who will do what needs to be done.
The approval disappears. Respect remains. And it is respect that enables leaders to leave a lasting impact.