PTFE or polytetrafluoroethylene was discovered on April 6, 1938 by Dr. Roy Plunkett at the DuPont research laboratories, and it was patented in February of 1941. You know PTFE as Teflon, the non-stick coating used on pans, griddles, grills and the like. The chemical has a growing list of uses, and it has made DuPont a lot of money.
That is all well and good, but what does Teflon have to do with you as a new leader? A lot, really. Consider these valuable lessons:
Leaders must possess a high melting point
Teflon has a high melting point of well over 600°F, and to be truly effective, you need to have a high heat threshold too. You can’t have a hair-trigger temper or melt down when put under extreme pressure. Good leaders can stand the heat and keep on going during challenging times.
Leaders need a non-stick surface
Just like eggs slide off the surface of a non-stick pan, leaders need to be able to let negativity slide right off their backs so that they can move forward, rally the troops and make progress. Learn to let go of the dread, hurt feelings, anxiety and anger associated with the following:
- Criticism. As a leader, you will face criticism. You will hear negative comments about your work. You will be blamed when things go wrong, and you may even hear your fair share of insults. Don’t obsess over those comments because if do, you could become fearful, timid, indecisive, and ultimately, ineffective.
- Mistakes. You are going to mess up, period. Don’t dwell on your mistakes for too long. If you do, you will kill your confidence and your willingness to take risks and step out of your comfort zone. Instead, learn from your mistakes, and then move on knowing you are more knowledgeable than before.
- Frustration. Given your position, you will face frustrating circumstances and people; however, you must quickly move past your frustration to a place of constructive thought and action.
- Drama. Effective leaders are aware of the situations their employees face and the emotions they feel. However, you can’t let employee drama cling to you, affecting how you interact with employees or the decisions you make. Address drama head-on and deal with it. Don’t let it linger.
- Conflict. Conflict is inevitable. Don’t let it stick around and eat at your productivity, moral and confidence. Instead, get to the root of a conflict and address the issue quickly and directly.
Leaders help others do their jobs better
Think about it. You can make eggs without a Teflon pan; however, using one can make the task faster, easier and a lot less messy. If you are a great leader, you can do the same thing for your employees. If you are ineffective, they may still meet the basic requirements of the job, however, they will be slower and everything will be harder and messier for them. BUT, if you are really good at your job, you simplify their lives and help them perform better.
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