Develop the discipline of consistency. Avoid the extremes. Do not be too perfect or too corrupt. Do not be overly wise, but never be a fool.
People do not mind working for the demanding leader, providing that leader is consistent. High expectations from a person who is consistent is far more tolerable than an accommodating person who is unpredictable.
One of my mentors was a demanding leader with high expectations. Present an idea to him that hadn’t been well thought out and you got his “nice speech hairy feet, but where’s the teeth and claws?” treatment. Being in that situation was very uncomfortable and frustrating. However, at one time I counted twelve people he had mentored who went on to run other companies or serve in “C” level positions. They all spoke of him with gratitude. One of them put it best saying, “the thing about it, he was consistent. He treated everybody the same. He did not show favoritism or have a different set of rules for different groups of people. You might not have agreed with him, but you always knew where he stood.
Are your people able to count on you to respond consistently?