The People in Your Life

I once spoke at an event for senior U.S. Air Force officers where one of the other speakers was a former U.S. Army general. In the green room before the event, he caught me by surprise as I was stuffing a blueberry muffin into my mouth and asked, “What’s the most important thing to know about creativity?” It was a great question, and to be honest, I can’t remember what I replied in the moment.However, I do remember what happened next. I immediately asked him, “What’s the most important thing I should know about leadership?” Without missing a beat, he replied, “You need people in your life who will speak truth to you well before you realize that you need people in your life to speak truth to you. By the time you realize you need them,it’s already too late.”Leadership is only lonely if you’re doing it wrong. Who are yourtrusted truth-tellers? Who do you turn to for honest and frank perspective? Who tells you when you are thinking too small or too big? Who knows you well enough to call out your negative tendencies or encourage your brilliant traits?Who are your people?Know who your people are before you need them.QUESTIONDo you have people in your life who will speak truth to you?