Quote-A-Day: Day 329

A true friend is someone who will tell you you're wrong, even when you "know" you're right. #QuoteADay #Day329 #edchat #satchat #NYedchat

First, there’s nothing wrong with being wrong.  In fact, we should welcome being wrong more often than we do, as simply the act of being incorrect prompts us to learn more and engage further.

And seriously, who wants to be right all the time if all it does is make it less likely that we’ll want to investigate things further?

Even knowing all this, we still love to be right, and human nature imprints us with a desire to prove ourselves, and for whatever reason, proving ourselves often means showing others how much we know (despite the fact that others don’t really care how much we know).

Friendship isn’t just having a buddy to hang around with.  Rather, true friendship is a relationship with someone that is based on keeping each other honest, and honestly keeping each other informed.

This means a true friend lets you know when you’re wrong, even when you believe at all costs that you’re right. 

There’s a power to having a friend who is able to help you keep your instinct for being right in check.  It builds humility, and it also helps us remember that it is less about being right and wrong, and more about learning (or not learning).

We also owe it to these friends to do the same for them, as nobody is free from the “being right” instinct; we all have to battle it if we are to be the best leaders we can possibly be.

Consider your list of friends.  Who will stick their neck out to tell you when you’re wrong about something?  Who won’t?

The best leaders surround themselves with friends who will be honest and check their thinking.  The worst leaders surround themselves with people who will only tell them what they want to hear.

What type of leader are you?