Honesty - That is all.

On his 52nd Street album, Billy Joel pines about it. Sadly enough, he sings, "Honesty is such a lonely word; Everyone is so untrue."

Honesty - it is synonymous with truth, and the sad truth is that it is very hard to find in today's world. And that is a problem, Servant Leader, because, in a world where governments legislate ethics, where truth is relative to one's political or religious choice, and where proclivities are honored over science, honesty gets lost on the threshing room floor. Companies have detailed policies on ethical behavior in the post-Enron, cancel culture world, but those policies are designed to protect a company's revenue, not its soul. Because of that, we are sometimes asked - no, we are directed - to withhold information that subordinates don't "need to know," not in an effort to protect them, but to protect "the company." But what is a servant leader to do when ordered to be less than honest? Three common phrases come to mind.

You can't legislate morality. (Attrib: R.M. MacIver, c. 1926)

Bad news isn't wine. It doesn't improve with age. (Attrib: C. Powell, c. 1995)

Honesty is the best policy. (Attrib: Sir E. Sandys, c. 1599)

My mom used to say that a lie of omission is still a lie. My dad, who was a protestant preacher, once told me that truth that served no purpose other than to harm, was not worthy of daylight. How then does a servant leader not lie through omission without honoring a cowardly truth?

I use a simple philosophy. Start by listening and think deeply before speaking, but never ever withhold facts for the purpose of "protecting" the speaker or the listener. (Note: Legal and security classification exceptions exist.) As a servant leader, I am not the judge who decides who is worthy of the truth and who is better served by lesser detail. As a servant leader, my responsibility is to help my people work through the challenges wrought by painful truth. The best way to do that is to start with the whole truth, to be present through the inevitable fallout, to be wise enough to know when to listen, when to speak, and when to ignore words spoken by someone in pain, and if you must, to correct with the sole purpose of bettering or strengthening the recipient.

"Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but he who makes his ways crooked will be found out." (Prov. 10:9, ESV)

Finally, don't be like the Piano Man, seeking honesty but not finding it. Be like the God man, speaking honestly so others can find it.

Have a blessed Holy Week, Servant Leaders. That is my honest prayer.

(Painting of "Old Rugged Cross" by Abraham Hunter - the cross, like the tomb, is empty!)