Erica Yanney, Career Coach at Altitude Career Coaching.

If you want to be a great leader, the best leader you can be, you have to face the truth; nothing but the real truth will do. No talent is enough if you can’t face reality to make effective decisions. Do you want to open your eyes and go beyond the truth you know for a more real and wider truth? I believe you will find that it will empower you to make better decisions about your career and your business and bring you more success and peace in your life.

To face the hard truths about yourself

Recently I had a very interesting first session with a client. He had lost his job. What struck me about this client was his tremendous self-awareness and honesty with himself. He did not lie to himself; without any passion or any shame he could state reality as it was.

When I asked him how he felt about the news of losing his job, he told me, “I was the logical person to fire. My performance was not good and the company was not doing well.” Then I asked: To what do you attribute your “not so good” performance? He couldn’t have been more clear or more fact-based: “Number one, I was assigned a new territory with customers who weren’t the most logical clientele for the product, and number two, maybe I didn’t put in the same effort that others put in because I didn’t is the best networker and salesperson.” Facing this hard truth head on allowed for an honest conversation that allowed us to address the truths behind what he had just said and make a better decision about the next step in his career.

When we explored what he said, we understood that logic and analytical ability were his strengths and that he had thrived in roles that utilized them. A sales position was not his flow zone. Influence, persuasion and networking were not his strong points or something that aroused passion and motivation in him. Analyzing scenarios, analytically understanding what needed to be done, delegating tasks and monitoring situations accordingly was what brought him joy and success in the past.

The ability to objectively and logically filter through the truth of who we would like to be and who we really are at any given moment is important on both a personal and corporate level. Sometimes we stay in situations we shouldn’t because we lack awareness of who we are, what we can do best, and our chances of thriving in that environment. If we were to take the time to intentionally unearth the truth, how helpful do you think it might be? I would say it would be very helpful and an important source of wisdom for the important decisions you need to make.

Facing the hard truths about others

We construct nothing alone; everything has a human context, a dynamic of power, culture and relationships that you have to be aware of at all times. This means that a lot of listening and observing is vital to uncovering the truth about others: your team, external teams, the company, the external market and their perceptions of you.

Leaders with narcissistic tendencies tend to ignore the pains of the people under their leadership and focus only on their goals. These leaders are unable to fully mentor and help others navigate their development, leaving companies missing the most important element of human life – humanity itself.

Other narcissists understand that dynamic, and intelligent as they are, they manipulate and play games to their advantage, playing nice and charming but with ulterior motives in their hearts. Narcissists are generally influential and pleasant and know how to involve a person emotionally. They can fool a lot of people for a long time, but the truth of the matter always comes out at some point, and it impairs that leader’s ability to express their full potential and take the company to peak performance.

For the more empathetic and truthful, there is still a challenge! They must learn to manage their beliefs, habits, emotions and cultural mindsets and understand the effect of these filters on how we perceive the truth about others. Denying truths or delaying actions can entail great costs for the leader and the company.

I have been in situations where I had a sincere desire to contribute positively, but after reflecting on the dynamics of that environment, I realized that I would not be effective in producing the most positive results that I could generate, while I could in other contexts. So the decision about my time investment and affiliation became very clear to me. Instead of giving many chances to people and situations, we should be more flexible in finding truth awareness to identify the moment to end engagement with people and companies.

Facing the hard truths about others can be scary and often saps your energy. The faster you eliminate anti-productive relationships, the faster your energy level will recover. The better and more flexible you become at evaluating the truth with openness and deciding which commitments, jobs and projects are worth pursuing, the more success and peace you will experience.

The win

Despite the initial discomfort of changing how you face the truth and taking time to reflect on it, there is a great benefit to seeing reality more broadly. Understanding yourself and the human context in which you are placed and seeking a broader way of seeing the truth can become a great source of empowerment to make better decisions for your career and for your business. I invite you to invest in it!

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