03 November 2009

My Truth is Better Than Your Truth

"More than one thing can be true in a given situation."

I'd like to be able to attribute this quote but the source I read it on didn't, so I'll just chalk it up to an unknown person of great wisdom.

More than one thing can be true in a given situation.

That's certainly a mind-opening thought since we naturally see things from our viewpoint and can have a hard time being open to the possibilities of truths other than our own. We also look at true vs. false as an either/or choice. Black/white, right/wrong. A good litigator surely learns early on that every person involved in a court case has their version of what really happened. Their own truth.

The hard part is making space for someone else's viewpoint of a situation and not judging or comparing their "truth" against yours. If you have siblings, as I do, you may find their stories of family life growing up are completely different than your memories. Science tells us now that memory is very malleable. Add that to the lense we view life through and it becomes easier to accept that there might be more than one truth in a given situation.

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About Me

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Houston, TX, United States
I've led a lot and followed plenty of times, too. All these experiences have given me some interesting perspective into what makes someone a leader worth following. And what constitutes ethical leadership? We usually can smell it when's it not, so let's find the examples in the world of people leading in an ethical and authentic way! My passion is community leadership but I think the lessons of leadership transcend place and specifics. I'd love to hear what you think about leadership!