Too often, when you are close to people in power, you're trying to make them happy; you're trying to tell them what they want to hear. But I find that really good leaders don't want that. They want the truth. And you do them a service, and yourself a service, by just being honest and straightforward.
Interpretation
Good leaders value honesty over flattery and seek the truth from their close associates.
This quote emphasizes the importance of honesty in leadership. Daniel H. Pink suggests that rather than trying to appease those in power by telling them what they want to hear, it is more beneficial for both the leader and the individual to be truthful and straightforward. Good leaders appreciate candor, as it aids in better decision-making and fosters genuine relationships.
In practice
During a corporate meeting, I shared this quote to remind my colleagues of the value of transparency with our management.
While complying can be an effective strategy for physical survival, it's a lousy one for personal fulfillment. Living a satisfying life requires more than simply meeting the demands of those in control. Yet in our offices and our classrooms we have way too much compliance and way too little engagement. The former might get you through the day, but only the latter will get you through the night.
Succeeding makes us feel good. But beating someone else makes us feel really good. Comparing ourselves to others and coming out on top creates a sense of entitlement. And when we feel entitled, we cheat more because, of course, the rules don't apply to awesome people like us.
When we make progress and get better at something, it is inherently motivating. In order for people to make progress, they have to get feedback and information on how they're doing.
We have this myth that extroverts are better salespeople. As a result, extroverts are more likely to enter sales; extroverts are more likely to get promoted in sales jobs. But if you look at the correlation between extroversion and actual sales performance - that is, how many times the cash register actually rings - the correlation's almost zero.
Too many people hold a very narrow view of what motivates us. They believe that the only way to get us moving is with the jab of a stick or the promise of a carrot. But if you look at over 50 years of research on motivation, or simply scrutinize your own behavior, it's pretty clear human beings are more complicated than that.
Greatness and nearsightedness are incompatible. Meaningful achievement depends on lifting one's sights and pushing toward the horizon.
In most cases being a good boss means hiring talented people and then getting out of their way.
The priesthood is not really so much a gift as it is a commission to serve, a privilege to lift, and an opportunity to bless the lives of others.
A government must not waiver once it has chosen its course. It must not look to the left or right but go forward.
I believe that many of my young guys lived because I didn't waste their lives because I didn't have the vision in my mind of how to destroy the enemy at least cost to our guys and to the innocents on the battlefields.
A society that respects women needs to elect leaders who care more about women's lives than they do about their or their company's bottom line.
The worst disease which can afflict executives in their work is not, as popularly supposed, alcoholism; it's egotism.
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