Telling the Truth Upward

A senior executive has made a request, something impossible to achieve. The request is born of a lack of understanding and rising frustration, and it’s passed down until it lands in my email.

I understand the frustration, and I share it. So I respond, politely and with understanding, directly to the executive. I explain why it’s impossible.

One of the people copied on the email stops by with a bit of advice. “You need to be careful saying what you did,” he says. “You could hurt your career.”

This reminds me of the old line about Socrates. He told the truth, so they poisoned him.

But the statement surprises me. Doing anything else other than what I did never entered my mind. What I believed important was to provide the executive with an explanation.

Later, I consider the statement. Why did my fellow employee think that telling an executive the truth would hurt my career?

To continue reading, please see my post today at The High Calling.

Illustration by Fritz Ahlefeldt via Public Domain Pictures. Used with permission.