Leaders Need to Be Challenged

No sycophants need apply

The Chess Players by Thomas Eakins, 1876 (public domain - Wikimedia Commons)

“Without contraries is no progression. Attraction and repulsion, reason and energy, love and hate, are necessary to human existence.” — William Blake, 1790

Speaking truth to power is never easy.

In years past, the reward for being a naysayer or whistleblower was often paid not with 30 pieces of silver, but with the one-time fee of your head.

One tradition in the Catholic Church led to thoughtful debate and dialogue, and it serves as a reminder of why leaders need to hear “no” with regularity.

“Quarreling must lead to disorder, and disorder exhaustion.” — Xunzi, c. 250 BC