Leading So People Will Follow

All Lies Are Visible

Sometimes we can convince ourselves that these untruths, half-truths, or misstatements will somehow be invisible. Maybe people won’t notice or won’t check in with each other. It’s simply not true. As a friend used to say, “You know we can see you, right?” When you’re the leader, people are generally hyperaware of your behavior. They want to know whether it will be safe and productive to follow you, and they’re especially looking for signs of your trustworthiness (or the lack thereof). Assume that if you shade the truth, misrepresent some checkable fact, or say one thing to one person, and something different to someone else, it will be seen, commented on, and judged.