Saint Manager the Martyr

This is one of the observations I've made  from a life in retail;    for some, there seems to be an unwritten rule that goes something like this. . . the more hours I work, the more exhausted I become, the more at wits end I am - is directly proportionate to the  amount of people who will come into the store the next day.   It is the tendency to drive a business through blood, sweat and tears, with a definite over-emphasis on the blood and tears part.   This is professional martyrdom

If I thought this was a phenomenon related only to retail, it wouldn't be worth mentioning.   Looking around, however, I find that the tendency toward martyrdom is not exclusive to any industry.

I am a believer in the power of hard work.   There is a difference between hard work and professional martyrdom.   The latter is the propensity to over-work, over-worry, over-compensate (and often, over-exaggerate one's own sacrifice) all in the name of driving the business and leading the workforce. It is entirely over-rated.

• First of all, strong business is driven by a positive combination of hard work, smart decisions and great teamwork - it is not driven by one person working until they fall nose-first into the dirt from exhaustion.
• Managers who are martyr-like may be doing it to demonstrate to the workforce exactly how hard they work - and they are unafraid to share every bloody detail of their professional devotion to their team.   While, yes, this may garner sympathy - that's pretty much all it gets.   It is not inspiring and it is not engaging.
• Managers who do the whole martyrdom thing are often more focused on their own exploits vs. the productivity and smart leadership of the entire group.
• Oh, and then there's this. . .throughout history most martyrs end up. . .well. . . dead.

It is tempting to play the martyr card.  It can generate pseudo appreciation and admiration.  It can boost our own egos.   It seemingly proves to ourselves that we have put it all out there for the sake of the business.

It is, however, an empty promise. In the end, it should not be the sacrifice of one that drives a business, but instead the energy of an integrated team.  Strong business and strong leadership is yes, hard-working - but it is also balanced and self-less in that it calls attention to the team vs. the exploits of the leader.

Brent Frerichs is the author of "Courageous Questions, Confident Leaders," available for e-readers, Apple products, tablets and PCs from Amazon Kindle.