I’m Not Here to Make Friends. I’m Here to Build a Business.

“Sometimes, no matter how hard you try to do the right thing, there’s always someone who thinks you’re an asshole.”

That’s the exact content of one of my most liked and retweeted tweets from last year. Unfortunately, you won’t find it if you search my feed because someone ‘suggested’ I take it down. I regret that decision deeply now. But at the time, I was pressured into being a good corporate player. But I shouldn’t have, because the resonance it kicked up among friends was significant. It echoed a deep emotion that stabs at the heart of most CEOs I know. And it was truly how I felt. So this is a good excuse for me to repost that emotion.

If you’re here to make friends, you’re in the wrong business. If you need the affirmation of all your employees — for everyone to love you and think you’re a great person — you’re in the wrong business.

That’s the dichotomy. As a leader, even though you may work as hard as you can to be a good person and support everyone as best you can, ultimately, you’re not there to make friends. You’re there to run and grow a business. And as long as you are focused on making the right decisions for the business, there will usually be someone who is pissed off or angry. And unfortunately, sometimes they can be people you truly care about.