How Much Ass-Kicking Is OK?

(I learned this from working at BetterUp)

There are all these posts about company culture.

How the workplace is supposed to be cushy for everyone.

Really?

I disagree.

Yes, being chronically stressed will eat you up (been there).

But the same is true if it’s too cozy and warm for everyone:

❌ No meritocracy
🙅 Nothing gets done
❌ No level of excellence

(We saw what this did to Twitter before Elon took over.)

The right answer is in between: the stretch zone.

It’s challenging enough so that you grow and progress, but not
damaging you so that you cannot play the long-game anymore.

That’s how I managed and trained: with tough love. Make
people feel appreciated but still have performance standards.

Which team are you?