{
  "id": 11649308,
  "title": "How to be tough, not a jerk — and why most people get toughness wrong",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/03/how-to-be-tough-not-a-jerk-and-why-most-people-get-toughness-wrong",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-10-03T09:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Fortune",
    "slug": "fortune",
    "url": "https://fortune.com/2026/10/03/tough-enough-hunter-baird-leadership-not-a-jerk/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In today's world, traditional notions of leadership are faltering across various domains. Political disputes are marred by erratic displays of dominance, college sports are beset by turmoil surrounding transfers and NIL deals, while corporate boards grapple with either authoritarian micromanagement or fearful inaction. Many leaders unwittingly view their options as either adopting a ruthless demeanor to achieve objectives or being excessively passive, allowing standards to deteriorate. However, in an age of perpetual crises, mere facade of toughness—stemming from vanity, dread, and performative hardness—is not genuine strength; it is a manifestation of insecurity. Based on the authors' professional encounters with executives from renowned corporations such as Apple, Nike, and General Motors, as well as rapidly expanding startups, they have discovered that successful entities are crafted by leaders who are genuinely tough. But this genuine toughness does not involve bullying or suppressing emotions. Instead, it is the psychological ability to commit to a challenging vision, maintain personal fortitude, uphold high standards, confront uncomfortable truths, and extract the best performance from others. Complacency is the insidious adversary of toughness. Being content entails maintaining excessive amiability, dispensing insincere praise, glossing over harsh realities, and extending leniency to underachievers. Toughness involves embracing discomfort—acknowledging one's mistakes, providing direct feedback when standards falter, and making arduous personnel decisions before mediocrity takes root.\n\nTo initiate the journey towards being tough without compromising human decency or exhibiting jerk-like behavior, the authors propose the following strategies: articulate and embody a compelling narrative that motivates individuals to believe, feel a sense of belonging, and commit wholeheartedly. In turbulent times, teams require not only objectives but also a purpose. A leader's manifesto delineates the yardstick of excellence and provides the team with a unifying focus amidst external pressures. Curate a team of individuals who deeply resonate with the mission and your working methodology. Tough leaders are unwavering in their commitment to talent and cultural compatibility. They recruit individuals who embrace stringent expectations, align with core values, and flourish within an atmosphere of mutual accountability. Employ emotions judiciously to augment performance and galvanize action. Suppressing emotions engenders coldness and stagnation, whereas unrestrained emotional outbursts can manifest as abuse, perpetuating anxiety and fear. Authentic toughness entails regulating one's emotional state to channel passion, urgency, and intensity into constructive energy that influences behavior when required and energizes the mission. Confront mistakes candidly and promptly. Promote honesty, rigorous discourse, and factual understanding to equip your team with the tools to make superior decisions more swiftly. A façade of toughness engenders an environment of posturing, wherein individuals refrain from full transparency and conceal errors. Genuine toughness engenders an atmosphere where team members can contest assumptions, own up to errors promptly, and provide unfiltered feedback without apprehension of retribution. Institute accountability as an invariable principle. Establish a distinctive framework of accountability that guarantees progress. Stringent standards are inconsequential without concrete execution mechanisms. By articulating explicit expectations, designating clear owners for each objective, monitoring progress, furnishing consistent feedback, and implementing repercussions when work falls short, reliance on periodic reminders transforms into an inherent component of daily operations. The concept of \"toughness\" is not an inherent trait; it is a system of operation that can be constructed. These seven habits initiate with the manner in which leaders lead themselves and extend to how they lead others. By transcending the erroneous dichotomy between being \"nice\" and \"ruthless,\" leaders can foster exceptional performance while nurturing a culture that individuals are proud to be a part of.",
  "summary": "By moving past the false choice between being \"nice\" and being \"ruthless,\" you can drive extraordinary performance while building a culture to be proud of.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}