The lie that hurts most ...
...is the one that sounds plausible
Not the outrageous kind.
The seemingly reasonable one.
The story that fits just well enough to stick.
I see it constantly in leadership circles.
A CEO becomes “cold” when they are exhausted.
A GC is labelled “difficult” when they are being exact.
A CECO is marginalised for making people uncomfortable with the truth.
I feel it too.
When intent is stripped out.
When nuance is inconvenient.
When a single moment is allowed to define a whole person.
Here is what rarely gets said.
It is not the workload that drains senior leaders.
It is carrying a misrepresentation you are not allowed to correct, that isn’t even expressed necessarily to you openly.
In the conversations I have as a coach, as an event host and on the podcast, I have noticed the same pattern keeps surfacing.
Leaders are not looking for praise.
They are looking for accuracy.
To be seen properly.
In full.
With context.
With their humanity intact.
Something shifts when a room agrees to suspend judgement.
To listen beyond the headline version of a person.
To let complexity exist without rushing to a verdict.
That is where the exhale happens.
If you are honest, where in your work or life are you carrying a story about yourself that is not quite true?
And what would change if it was finally questioned?