Who You Surround Yourself With Matters!

In our continued look at Why Do Some People Want to Do It Themselves, we have to consider it could be due to insecurity. In our own careers and our work with leaders, we’ve found that some individuals fail to promote teamwork because they feel threatened by other people.

That’s probably why The Law of Empowerment says that only secure leaders give power to others.

I agree with John Maxwell’s statement that says, “I believe that insecurity more than poor judgment or lack of intelligence, most often causes leaders to surround themselves with weak people.” He goes on to say, “insecure leaders usually fail to build teams for one of two reasons: Either they want to maintain control over everything for which they are responsible, or they fear being replaced by someone more capable.”

Throughout history, there have been a variety of quotes, all saying close to what Niccolo Machiavelli, a Florentine statesman, said back in the sixteenth century. “The first method for estimating the intelligence of a ruler is to look at the men he has around him.” I’m sure you’ve heard this same idea in many different forms. We even tell our children and grandchildren, “Be careful who you associate with.” Because who you surround yourself with matters at every age. And if you’re a leader, even more so because you are impacting more than just yourself, we tend to become the most like those we surround ourselves with.