Leading Out Loud: A Guide for Engaging Others in Creating the Future, 3rd Edition

The Rules of Engagement—Authenticity Is Paramount

As powerful as stories and experiences are, they are fraught with potential for manipulation. This is all the more reason to be careful as you develop any change message. Stories can be made up and then generalized illegitimately in an attempt to prove a point. Without data, such generalization is only manipulation. Relating personal experience can also be manipulative and even substantially detract from a leader’s credibility. Remember that we now know that our brains actually can and do recognize intention—although we are not always conscious of that fact. Everyone has had that feeling, when they are communicating, that something is off, there is a lack of understanding, something unsaid, but ...