Complacency Equals Selflessness

Disclaimer: The views presented in all the blog articals are solely my own and do not reflect that of any individual or entity or present or past employers. These are based on my experience and are meant to drive a change.

Complacency like many other traits or virtues needs to be considered with a context. In the right context and situation, Complacency can be a good thing while not so much in some other context. For a Leader to be effective having a Financial Complacency is extremely important. It does not matter whether the leader is actually financially doing well or not. What is important is having the Complacency. Burgeoning leaders and people managers should keep this in mind. This should also be one of your hiring criteria when hiring a leader. Whether you are a people leader or technology leader, one of the signs of a good leader is to put your teams well being before yours.

Having financial complacency makes you a better Giver when its time to give out bonuses, promotions and reviews. Rewarding your teams and seeing the happy faces for their hard work being recognized is an amazing feeling both as a leader as well as the team members.

Its easy to see, how devastating the opposite scenario can be. A leader who is not complacent and not a good Giver, puts their financial gains before their teams. It all goes downhill from there.

On the other hand, Complacency in other areas such as driving vision, inspiring the team, putting together the roadmap for the organization, is generally not a good thing. It can be innovation and productivity killer. One of my top hiring criteria when hiring a senior roles is “how hungry are they in their areas of expertise?”. Are they pushing the envelope, progressively over time? Are they looking to improve and innovate? Are they open to constant learning and raising the bar?