"An Unbeatable Combination"

When it comes to achieving excellence in client service, it's our duty to challenge our leaders, and it's their responsibility to listen to the professional judgment of subordinates.

As Warren Bennis explains, "The most important characteristic may be a willingness to tell the truth. In a world of growing complexity, leaders are increasingly dependent on their subordinates for good information, whether the leaders want to hear it or not. Followers who tell the truth, and leaders who listen to it, are an unbeatable combination."

At Seton Hall University's Learning Leaders Symposium, I offered ten keys to speaking truth to power:

1. Trust yourself


2. Consider it your responsibility to share your professional judgment


3. Know your audience


4. Prepare by understanding your point and anticipating any questions you may receive


5. Make your point succinctly


6. Do so in the broader interest, not self interest


7. Persuade – don’t take ceremonial positions


8. Be patient - let the information sink in


9. Understand that bad news is better coming from you than from the outside


10. Trust your leadership

Consider sharing your story of when you had to speak truth to power.