It’s Not Your Job To Make Your Team Happy

One of my favourite sayings is, ”Don’t try to make your team happy; make them successful.” It’s something I’ve seen over years of working in start-ups and larger organisations, and it has shaped how I approach leadership.

Trying to make people happy is an impossible goal. Happiness is subjective and influenced by countless factors outside of work—relationships, health, personal challenges. As a leader, it’s not something you can reliably control.

On the other hand, success is measurable, tangible, and achievable at work. When people feel they are succeeding in their career- when they can see progress, growth, and impact—they experience a deeper, more lasting satisfaction and connection to the business. In my experience, focusing on success not only builds more motivated and engaged teams but also drives results for the business.

My top three focus areas to make your team successful...

✅ Clarity of Goals and Expectations
Ambiguity is one of the biggest barriers to success. Introduce goal-setting frameworks that align individual objectives with company priorities, ensuring everyone knows what they’re working towards and why it matters. (There’s heaps of platforms or even simple templates available online that can assist this).

✅ Providing the Right Support
Success doesn’t happen in a vacuum. Access to tools, training, and mentorship can empower team members to reach new heights. One of my proudest moments was seeing someone I mentored grow into a leadership role they once thought was out of reach.

✅ Recognising and Celebrating Success
Achievements, whether big or small, deserve to be acknowledged. In one of my roles, I introduced a simple “success spotlight” at team meetings. It created a ripple effect, with team members motivated to push themselves and others inspired by seeing their accomplishments.

If you’d like to know more about how to make your team successful then tap me up!