A baker suspected that the farmer who was supplying his butter was giving him short weight. He carefully checked the weight, and his suspicions were confirmed. Highly indignant, he had the farmer arrested. At the trial the judge was satisfied and the baker chagrined at the farmer’s explanation. He (the farmer) had no scales so he used balances and for a weight he used a one-pound loaf of bread bought daily from the baker.
Zig Ziglar, See You at the Top

I make mistakes. I’ll be the second to admit it.
Jean Kerr, Author and Playwright

People who are honest and straightforward with others tend to be honest and straightforward about themselves, but those who shade the truth (even slightly) with others have the same tendency to shade the truth about themselves. Those who deceive others tend to deceive themselves as well. They not only lie to themselves, but they soon believe their own lies.
Joseph Folkman, The Power of Feedback: 35 Principles for Turning Feedback from Others into Personal and Professional Change

An industrial magnate once told Mark Twain he would like to climb Mount Sinai and read aloud the Ten Commandments. "Why don’t you just stay home and live them," Twain replied.

And the lectures you deliver may be very wise and true;

But I’d rather get my lesson by observing what you do.

For I may misunderstand you and the high advice you give;

But there’s no misunderstanding how you act and how you live.
Edgar A. Guest, British-born American poet known as the People’s Poet

Sometimes you have to be silent to be heard.
Stanislaw J. Lec, Polish writer

The cruelest lies are often told in silence.
Robert Lewis Stevenson, Scottish novelist, poet, and travel writer

The old saws, that effective leaders "model the way" or "walk the talk" are 100 percent accurate… The day-to-day stuff and big stuff matter far less than the micro-embodiments of "the way we do things around here" (e.g., the boss’s thirty-second exchange with Jane or Jack in the hall on the way out of the meeting).
Tom Peters, The Excellence Dividend

I have opinions of my own — strong opinions — but I don’t always agree with them.
George H.W. Bush, 41st U.S. President

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Posted in: Personal Integrity & Values Alignment

Tagged with: leadership, mark twain, Tom Peters, Edgar A. Guest, hypocrisy, Zig Ziglar, Jean Kerr, Joseph Folkman, Stanislaw J. Lec, Robert Lewis Stevenson, George H.W. Bush

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About the Author

For over three decades, Jim Clemmer’s keynote presentations, workshops, management team retreats, seven bestselling books, articles, and blog have helped hundreds of thousands of people worldwide. The Clemmer Group is the Canadian strategic partner of Zenger Folkman, an award-winning firm best known for its unique evidence-driven, strengths-based system for developing extraordinary leaders and demonstrating the performance impact they have on organizations.

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