Demanding And Supportive

I have been fortunate enough to work with some brilliant leaders throughout my career. What stood out was that most of them were demanding and supportive.

Most people think of demanding and supportive as polar opposites. They believe that someone can either be tough or nice, but not both simultaneously. However, the best leaders I have worked with did not choose between the two. They pushed me very hard, but I always knew they had my back. 

The best leaders have the ability to be highly demanding and highly supportive- soft on people and hard on results. They challenge the people whose development they are responsible for while at the same time supporting their progress.