Marmite, the much-loved yeasty spread widely used by many in the UK. And equally despised.
When it comes to people, you know them immediately.. The person who walks into a meeting, half the room lights up while the other half quietly groans. Marmite characters – loved by some, despised by others, with precious little middle ground.
But what we miss in our rush to judgment is that the source of their divisiveness tells us everything.
The Principle Stand
Some leaders divide rooms because they refuse to compromise on what matters. They’ll call out mediocrity when everyone else stays silent. They’ll push back on popular decisions that serve no one well. They make people uncomfortable because comfort often comes at the cost of progress.
Steve Jobs was Marmite. So was Margaret Thatcher. Reed Hastings at Netflix, and Nelson Mandela. They didn’t set out to be divisive – they set out to be right about things that mattered to their mission.
The Ego Show
Then there are those who divide because everything orbits around them. They contradict each other. They take stands to feel important. They create conflict because drama feeds their need for attention. They need to be the headline, constantly.
The difference isn’t always obvious from the outside. Both types generate strong reactions, and both make people pick sides. But one serves a purpose larger than themselves, while the other serves only their own need to be seen.
The Real Test
Watch what happens when they’re not in the room. Do people continue the work they started, building on principles they established? Or does the energy die because it was never about the work?
Great leaders understand that being universally liked often means standing for nothing important. They’re willing to be Marmite if it means moving the right things forward.
The question isn’t whether you’re divisive – it’s whether your division serves something bigger than your ego.
