Things to Think About

“There are some who only employ words for the purpose of disguising their thoughts.”   Voltaire

This wonderful quote from the 18th century tells us of a 21st century issue that many leaders are still dealing with: The inability to build trust. The Czechs have a saying, “He preaches water, but drinks wine.” Or, how about, “She just doesn’t walk the talk?” Now, here’s the thing; the people Voltaire spoke of usually are convinced that no one but them realizes what’s going on, which is still true today. But, what they are missing is that this incongruity is very transparent and, human nature being what it is, people sense it and can see right through it. The outcome of all this is very simple: No one trusts a person like this on a sustained basis. The reason this is so important today is that sooner or later there comes a time—a time which is critical—when a leader needs to be trusted in order for people to go beyond what is expected of them to deliver peak performance. Unfortunately, the leaders of whom Voltaire speaks will never experience this. Are you drinking water or wine?

Good luck on your journey!