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Speaking truth to power
“Justin, I am troubled. My boss is surrounded by ‘yes men’ and he is about to make a terrible decision. I know it will be unpopular, but I must speak truth to power.”
From time to time, in the course of our careers, we will be put in this position. While Hollywood has glamorized those who dare give honest advice, in real life, those who dare speak truth to power are often punished in some way.
My advice to my friend is to think carefully and ask if this issue is the proverbial ‘hill he wants to die on.’ As this is a decision only he can make, I suggested that he ask himself the following three questions:
Is the student ready?
The concept of speaking truth to power is based on the belief that all leaders will do what is right — if they knew the full truth. This is not necessarily always the case. Similar to how the teacher will appear when the student is ready, the leader will only be receptive to hard truths if he is willing to accept that he could be wrong. If this pre-requisite does not exist, speaking truth to power will be like throwing an egg against a wall. It will end badly for the egg.
