Timeless & Timely Links — April 18, 2025

The New Bonnet by Francis William Edmonds, 1858 (public domain - Metropolitan Museum)

“What a king must suffer! For he knows, deep down in his heart, that he is a poor, cheap, wormy thing like the rest of us, a sarcasm, the Creator’s prime miscarriage in inventions, the moral inferior of all the animals… the superior of them all in one gift only, and that one not up to his estimation of it — intellect.”
— Mark Twain, 1906

One of the most challenging things I see with the leaders I work with is the inability to express authenticity. And that seems kind of counterintuitive, because being authentic is simply being yourself.

But we live in an Instagramified world, where anything but perfection is frowned upon, and it can be difficult for people to show even a sliver of vulnerability.

Vulnerability exists at the intersection of truth and humility.

It can only happen when you’re honest with yourself first.

When you’re faking it, people can tell. That sense of unease plants a seed of doubt in their minds.

When they can see the true you, they’ll be more likely to trust you. And trust is the basis of all good relationships.

So be yourself wherever you go. Like Mr. Rogers said, I like you just the way you are.

Here are some links, a book and a podcast that grabbed my attention this week.