Page 607
Posted: Wed Feb 11, 2026 6:21 pm
gave my team a manager or a leader from among them who was, you know,
the type to tell endless jokes and anecdotes. Suppose he is constantly
distracting everyone with whatever news he found on his phone. He is
always diverting them with social media: “Oh, look at this video.” He is
perpetually tempting them with, “Let’s go eat.” He is always cracking dirty
jokes or something like that. He is constantly intoxicating, tempting, and
spoiling them. You see, there are those people whom everyone loves —
but they are loved not because they are good, but because they satisfy all
of your weaknesses.
And you feel comfortable with them because you relax. The team will love
a leader like that. But what if a leader comes in who, on the contrary, says:
“Stop sitting on your phones, stop picking your nose — hey, pull your pants
up, button your shirt. Did you make the plan? Did you finish this? And
that hour you just had, what were you doing?” How will the team react to a
leader like that? They’ll be glancing at each other, making faces, whispering
behind his back, you understand? But this team forgets that, actually,
they are at work. And actually, at work, everyone should behave exactly
like that leader. But they are uncomfortable because it’s not “cool” and
it’s not fun. People are always very inclined toward “coolness” and fun. I
remember when I used to visit different companies, there was my friend
and there was me. My friend was always like that “tempting demon.” He was
always making jokes, always offering some kind of temptation. And
everyone would go “yes, yes, yes,” and later they’d say, “he’s so great.”
But people always tried to — well, in the last 10 years at least — they tried to
avoid me in a way, because in my presence you can’t talk about nasty things;
people feel shy. You can’t talk about vulgarities in my presence; people feel
uncomfortable and embarrassed. It’s because they feel uneasy — because
around me you can’t fart, burp, or tell dirty jokes about girls and boys, and
that’s why it’s uncomfortable with me. But even so, you can still distinguish
between what is good and what is bad, right? That’s another funny thing.
And so I have this note: that all people, no matter what they are like,
bad or good, must be accepted. And if you cannot accept some person,
the problem lies within you.
the type to tell endless jokes and anecdotes. Suppose he is constantly
distracting everyone with whatever news he found on his phone. He is
always diverting them with social media: “Oh, look at this video.” He is
perpetually tempting them with, “Let’s go eat.” He is always cracking dirty
jokes or something like that. He is constantly intoxicating, tempting, and
spoiling them. You see, there are those people whom everyone loves —
but they are loved not because they are good, but because they satisfy all
of your weaknesses.
And you feel comfortable with them because you relax. The team will love
a leader like that. But what if a leader comes in who, on the contrary, says:
“Stop sitting on your phones, stop picking your nose — hey, pull your pants
up, button your shirt. Did you make the plan? Did you finish this? And
that hour you just had, what were you doing?” How will the team react to a
leader like that? They’ll be glancing at each other, making faces, whispering
behind his back, you understand? But this team forgets that, actually,
they are at work. And actually, at work, everyone should behave exactly
like that leader. But they are uncomfortable because it’s not “cool” and
it’s not fun. People are always very inclined toward “coolness” and fun. I
remember when I used to visit different companies, there was my friend
and there was me. My friend was always like that “tempting demon.” He was
always making jokes, always offering some kind of temptation. And
everyone would go “yes, yes, yes,” and later they’d say, “he’s so great.”
But people always tried to — well, in the last 10 years at least — they tried to
avoid me in a way, because in my presence you can’t talk about nasty things;
people feel shy. You can’t talk about vulgarities in my presence; people feel
uncomfortable and embarrassed. It’s because they feel uneasy — because
around me you can’t fart, burp, or tell dirty jokes about girls and boys, and
that’s why it’s uncomfortable with me. But even so, you can still distinguish
between what is good and what is bad, right? That’s another funny thing.
And so I have this note: that all people, no matter what they are like,
bad or good, must be accepted. And if you cannot accept some person,
the problem lies within you.