CHAPTER 11Be Honest Even When It's Hard: Truth Telling Can Set You Apart in the Workplace
Truth stands, even if there be no public support. It is self-sustained.
—Mahatma Gandhi
You likely know about legendary Danish writer Hans Christian Andersen and his 1837 fairy tale, The Emperor's New Clothes—but here is a brief refresher. It describes a king who is duped into buying a very expensive outfit that could only be seen by the smartest of men who were fit for their position. The king paid a large sum of money for the clothes to be made. Upon his final exhibition, he refused to admit that he could not see his clothes because that would reveal he was unqualified to be king. All the men around him also lied and claimed they could also see his magnificent clothing. This charade led to a public procession with the king parading these new garments across his kingdom. It took two innocent children to point out that his “costume” was a sham and the king was naked. Everyone in the kingdom finally came clean. By that time, the swindlers had left the city with bags and bags of money.1
The moral of the story has a direct application to the corporate world: when a leader surrounds himself with “Yes” men or women, it often leads to embarrassing results. It is far better as a leader to surround yourself with an honest team of people who are unafraid to ask questions or to point out shortcomings as they see them.
I had a personal opportunity to either be a “Yes” man or that little child ...