The Global Leadership Summit: Henry Cloud

What does a person do when the truth comes to them? Truth = Reality

Three different types of people: Wise, Fools, Evil

The Wise

When the light comes to them, that person adjusts themselves to match the light.
When the truth comes to them, they change… themselves or something else to match reality.
When you confront them, they thank you.
When you are leading a wise person, you talk to them. You coach them and give them feedback. You resource them.
With a wise person, the challenge is making sure they are a match for what you need.

Fool

A fool may be the brightest, most gifted person sitting at the table. Most of the time they are.
The problem is, unlike the wise person, when the light shows up, they adjust the light.
They try to change or adjust the truth.
They shoot the messenger.
The fool denies reality. They get angry.
They will not own any part of the problem.
When dealing with a fool, a leader needs to experience the feeling of hopelessness.
With a fool, you have to stop talking. They have stopped your vision.
A leader has to have a different conversation at this point. You have to talk about the pattern.
Leaders ask: how can I talk to you where you will understand?
That is followed up by asking what we will do if that does not work. What will the consequences be?
Fools do not change when truth comes to them that they can get rid of. They only change when truth comes to them that camps out with them.
The leadership challenge with the fool is that you limit your exposure, give consequences, give a clear choice, follow through

There is great hope for fools. If we can lead them right, we can redeem their giftedness. This takes guts

Evil

Don’t let someone else’s character problem stop you from your vision.