Presidents Day brings to mind many qualities of former heads of state: courage, leadership and most notably, honesty.
We here about “Honest Abe” and that George Washington never told a lie. Today’s political campaigns highlight a candidate’s honesty and ability to tell the truth.
Honesty is not about withholding information or just not telling falsehoods; it is about speaking the truth.
Often leaders fail to speak up because they want to be liked or avoid conflict. Sometimes they do not believe that the other person can change or handle the truth. As a result, they avoid holding the other person accountable.
As a leader, it is our responsibility to say what is there, to state an opinion or to correct a behavior. If we do not speak up because we are afraid of the reaction, then we keep the other person small. We do not give them an opportunity to grow.
If we fear that they can’t handle it or that we won’t be liked, we are not acting with courage or honesty. We are protecting ourselves. We are not respecting the other.
Imagine if our founding fathers acted this way. Where would we be if they worried about avoiding conflict or being liked? Where would we be if they did not believe in their fellow citizens and did not speak the truth?
We would probably be celebrating the Queen’s birthday instead of Presidents Day