Is Anything We Thought About Leadership True?

Three questions emerge from the 2016 election cycle

Last week, I planned to write about a leadership technique backed by research to improve workplace motivation, engagement, and productivity. But, given the recent political season, I found myself wondering if anything we’ve believed about leadership is true. Does humility matter? Should leaders apologize? Is it better to tell people the truth or what they want to hear?

I have spent the best part of my life exploring how to help people thrive at work. In today’s reality, I find myself questioning everything I thought I knew. This is not a bad thing, but it sure makes it challenging to write a typical article. Again, not a bad thing!

In the spirit of seeking to understand, I am posing a few questions that keep me awake at night. I’m not doing this so you will lose sleep, too, but so we might pursue the answers, together, from different perspectives.

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Comments

Leadership and Truthfulness

I am disappointed that Quality Digest would publish such a strongly biased opinion piece. Leadership has many perspectives. This veiled plug for Clinton over Trump is inappropriate for this magazine.

Yes, leadership needs humility. It also needs a back bone. Apologies are not necessary because someone disagrees with a leader's position. Right and wrong, unfortunately, are not always black and white.

Leadership needs visibility and a strong position to negotiate in a complex world. Our quality community has the skills to help guide a successful pathway through difficult issues. Let's get to work.

Really?

So it's okay to lie 7 times, but 57 times is not acceptable?

Politifact is a left-leaning organization, so of course they are going to state that Donald Trump was untruthful more often than Hillary Clinton. Plus, the references to Stephen Cobert and Alex Baldwin. They are hardly men who are sympathetic to, or even respectful of, conservatives or conservative viewpoints.

Reading this column leads to me to question your leadership and honesty.