Skip to main content

Truth or Tales?


image: pixabay

True story: when I was much younger I was known to tell a tale or two. They were usually rooted in reality, but I'd embellish the truth to make it more interesting. Like that story I'd tell about my trip to McSorley's in New York when I ran into John Lennon. We had a nice conversation. Except, he wasn't there. I thought of him, and he lived in New York at the time, but seriously was much more likely to be on the other side of town. Go figure.

How many times did I tell that tale? Maybe once or twice. Once to my best friend at the time. Did she believe me? Not if she knew me well enough...

How about you? Do your fish stories end up with bigger fish than you actually caught? Do you augment reality with some great tales?

I got a great gift last December from one of my good friends and fraternity brother, David Spiegel. It's a coffee mug with the saying "Keep telling the stories" written on it. I love it. I don't think that he meant "tell tales."  I think he's encouraging us to remember the stories that brought us to life and keep bringing life to us years after they've past. And (more importantly) to keep telling NEW stories of the new adventures we are creating.

Because who knows how long any of us has?

When it comes to leadership, tell your team the truth. Stories are inspiring, and most useful when they are based on truth. I suspect that none of us knows the complete, unfiltered truth. The best we can do is stop adding our own filters. Tell your truth.

The best story is no match for the truth.

So do tell the stories. And, if you want to, make the fish as big as you want. Just give me a wink so that I'll know...

-- Doug Smith


key words:

Comments

  1. David SpiegelJune 13, 2020 at 10:51 AM

    It's all about the stories Doug....factual or mythical......a good yarn is a good yarn!You humbled me once again my friend!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Let Them See You Work

If you can't seem to hire good performers with a solid work ethic, you might need to develop them. Maybe start by showing them what that looks like, or as John Maxwell has said "Know the way, show the way, and go the way." You know, walk the talk. I know a LOT of leaders who complain about work ethic. Maybe they need to let their people see them work... -- doug smith  
Post a Comment
Read more

Celebrate Progress

  When was the last time that you were frustrated in trying to learn something? If you can't remember, maybe it's time to learn something new -- something tough and challenging. Truly worthwhile endeavors are often struggles. The satisfaction comes not only in the final result, but also in the progress toward that final result. The best way to avoid a sad let-down once a goal is achieved is to enjoy the journey all the way thru. Celebrate your progress! Not so much that you feel finished, but enough so that you feel able. Celebrate progress, and then keep on progressing. As that beat poet and philosopher Harry X. Tudas once said, "Feel in the groove but continue to improve." -- doug smith
Post a Comment
Read more

Start Positive

I went thru a grumpy period in my life. It was like a rut that was so deep no light could get in. It fed on its own bumpy grumpiness until that's all I could feel. Yuck. Forget that now. Now, I start with a positive thought. I could be wrong about finding the silver lining, but I've learned that I won't see the silver lining unless I look for it, and that's the place to start. Even the smallest positive effort has a positive impact. Let's start there. -- doug smith  
Post a Comment
Read more

Feedback Takes Practice

How good are you at providing feedback? If you're not sure, ask your team members. If you are good at it, they'll tell you. If you're not good at it, then maybe they will and maybe they won't. Feedback does not come easy. Skillful, useful feedback that improves both performance AND self-esteem is a delicate balance of recognizing positives and occasionally providing insights on areas of improvement -- all placed into the context of why it matters. Without the "why" -- why the feedback matters, why the improvement matters, why the performance matters, all the feedback you can muster will only fluster whoever you provide it to. Tell them what they did that was great, ask how they could make it even greater, and share with them why it all makes a difference. Because unless it really makes a difference who cares? Feedback, like any skill, takes practice. -- doug smith
Post a Comment
Read more

Courageous Creativity!

  Others might fear your creativity, but you don't need to. Stay courageous, stay creative, stay compassionate, stay clear. Sing your song no matter who listens! -- doug smith
Post a Comment
Read more

Building Discipline

It would be easy to skip my morning, or afternoon, or evening push-ups. Heck, I did skip them for most of my life. But regular exercise is a discipline that won't do itself.  We don't have to like or enjoy discipline-building habits in order to need them. The drills prove, over and over, that we do. Start small if you need to, but definitely start.  -- doug smith
Post a Comment
Read more

Keep Going

  Obvious, yet essential: The closer you get to a goal the less distance you have to go.  Keep going. -- doug smith
Post a Comment
Read more