If I had to pinpoint the most significant and impactful opinion change in my leadership career so far, it’s that a responsible business organisation can’t and shouldn’t be driven by how it makes its employees feel. Not only that, but I believe that this doesn’t even make it to the top 5 of things that should be on a company’s strategy and focus list. If 2024 me met 2014 me, we would passionately defend completely opposite views.
How I got it wrong
At the time of this late realisation, I had spent over half a decade creating something from nothing by focusing primarily on surrounding myself with amazing individuals. Being a tech guy and a people pleaser, I organically attracted these people by fostering a culture which I personally resonated with, and aimed to create the environment where I would see myself work in. I go about the culture itself in more detail in this article.
I ended up having absolutely amazing people but I didn’t have that great of a business. However, if I ask any of these original heroes (to whom I will forever be thankful to have crossed their path) their opinion about it, they will probably say that we did in fact have an amazing gig, and then we ruined it.
Through the years we built a truly world-class technical company capable of handling anything we threw at it. We kept listening to all the suggestions, criticism and struggles from within and year after year, we got better at our job. After a few years, it really felt like we were this super company with an amazing potential to grow, except we weren’t.
The reason is very simple. Our main focus and obsession was an honest one, but the wrong one. We focused on creating the best possible environment for our employees, not our customers, not the market and certainly not for us as an organisation.
The never-ending struggle
Making people happy is on its own a losing battle. People have different opinions, different expectations, different needs — and what makes one person feel valued will make another feel overlooked. It’s up to a leader to decide the playing field and let it attract the right people (I did this, I just focused on the wrong goal). The irony is that I built something people loved being part of, but the foundation was fragile because it wasn’t anchored to the thing that actually keeps companies alive — delivering value to clients.
You can’t even make everyone individually happy. And here’s the part nobody tells you: it’s not your job. The moment you start making decisions based on how your team will react, you’ve effectively handed them the steering wheel. Sean Byrnes puts it bluntly: once you’re afraid of your own team’s reaction, they’re the ones running the company, not you. And I’ve been there — delaying decisions I knew were right because I was anxious about the fallout. That’s not empathy, that’s paralysis.
You need to care individually, absolutely, but the focus has to be on the bigger picture. Being honest and candid about this is not being cold or corporate, it’s being responsible.
The real priority
So who should we be making happy? Both — clients and employees — to the absolute limit of one’s capabilities, but with very different priorities.
Start with figuring out how to make clients happy. Then figure out what will make them happier. Then ask yourself: is that a dealbreaker for the current team? Is it still aligned with the company’s core principles and values? Your team’s input matters — their daily experience is invaluable counsel — but at the end of the day, input ends with advice. A company is not a democracy, and some decisions that are right for the business will never win a popular vote. Within the space that goes from delivering what our clients need from us and the limit of our capabilities, this is where employee happiness lives. Not further than this.
Employee happiness is not the focus of a company, it’s a second priority. A company’s job is to make people happy, just not their own people. And this is not something people tell you. Social media claims otherwise and most leaders are too scared of voicing it because it sounds heartless. But it isn’t — it’s the thing that keeps everyone employed in the first place.
The 180
I am a people person. I love making people happy and it’s something I’ve had to learn how to fight because I’m such a people pleaser. This entire shift was not easy, and I’d be lying if I said I don’t still struggle with it. But the reality is that a company that puts employee comfort above client value is a company that won’t be around long enough to make anyone happy.
Be honest and candid. Care individually but focus on the bigger picture. And accept that some people will disagree with this, leave, and think you’ve changed for the worse. Ironically, making these hard calls is exactly what tests whether real trust exists between you and your team. If the trust is there, people can disagree and still move forward. If it’s not, well, you were going to find out eventually anyway. That’s the weight of the decision, and it’s yours to carry.