Welcome to The Subtle Shift, a weekly newsletter where I share small but powerful ideas to help you lead with clarity, inspire change, and create a lasting impact. This week’s issue is about something I’ve been noticing more and more in leadership circles: the growing belief—sometimes stated, sometimes implied—that the ends justify the means. If you’re in a leadership role or aspiring to one, I hope this message gives you something to reflect on.
When Results Come at a Cost
Leadership is about results. That’s not in question.
Leaders are expected to deliver outcomes, hit targets, and move the needle. And rightfully so—our organizations exist to create value, and someone has to be responsible for that.
But here’s what concerns me: Many leaders sacrifice relationships in the push to deliver results. They overlook the people who make the outcomes possible. They discount the emotional and cultural costs of their decisions. They operate as if the results are all that matter—as if the ends justify the means.
This is a dangerous mindset in need of a subtle shift.
Leadership Has Always Been Both
Putting results ahead of relationships isn’t a new dilemma.
Back in the 1960s, researchers found that effective leadership is made up of two core types of behaviors: task behaviors (the ability to get things done) and relationship behaviors (the ability to connect, support, and build trust with others).
The researchers pointed out that leaders don’t just get things done. They get things done with and through others; therefore, how they treat people along the way matters. The relationships you build, the trust you maintain, the culture you reinforce—these aren’t secondary to the goal. They are part of the goal.
People aren’t just the means to an end. They are the heart of the engine that makes everything run.
What Happens When We Discount People
When we start chasing results at the expense of people, we fracture the very fabric of what makes teams, businesses, and communities thrive.
We create fear-based cultures.
We reduce people to KPIs and headcount.
We burn out high performers and alienate the rest.
And in the long run?
We lose the very thing we set out to build.
A high-performing team that doesn’t trust its leader won’t stay high-performing for long.
A profitable business that devalues people will eventually pay the price in turnover, disengagement, or public reputation.
It’s not just a moral issue—it’s a strategic one.
The Subtle Shift: Balance Your Focus
Here’s one subtle shift I’ve been encouraging leaders to make:
Pay attention to the behaviors you exhibit—both task-focused and relationship-focused—and treat them as equally essential.
Think of it like dancing on a line. On one end is your focus on results—tasks, goals, deadlines, metrics. On the other is your focus on relationships—trust, empathy, collaboration, care.
Every day, we’re moving back and forth on that line. Sometimes, we need to push hard on the task side. Sometimes, we need to pause and lean into the relationship side. But the key is to stay aware of the dance.
If you always default to tasks and ignore relationships, it’s time to rebalance.
You may need to lean into accountability if you’re so focused on harmony that progress stalls.
Great leadership isn’t found at one end of the spectrum. It’s found in the skillful movement between both.
Why It Matters
The ends do not justify the means.
The means shape the ends.
How you lead matters.
How you treat people matters.
How you pursue your goals matters.
Because leadership isn’t just about what you achieve—it’s about who you become in the process, and what you leave in your wake.
So this week, ask yourself:
- Am I valuing both results and relationships?
- Where have I leaned too far in one direction?
- What small adjustment can I make to restore balance?
Here’s to a week of meaningful results, strong relationships, and the subtle shifts that make both possible.
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