Conveying More Than Literal Meaning
I have always stressed that language matters. It matters a lot! I love that G.K. Chesterton, through the character of Father Brown in the Father Brown Stories, explored themes of human nature, morality, and the importance of understanding others. Chesterton’s stories emphasize that sometimes the true understanding of a mystery or a person’s motives requires insight into their character and the use of common sense, rather than superficial judgments.
In Chapter 5 – The Invisible Man, Father Brown said, “Have you ever noticed this—that people never answer what you say? They answer what you mean—or what they think you mean.” He then went on to give this example: “Suppose one lady says to another in a country house, ‘Is anybody staying with you?’ the lady doesn’t answer ‘Yes; the butler, the three footmen, the parlourmaid, and so on,’ though the parlourmaid may be in the room, or the butler behind her chair. She says ‘There is nobody staying with us,’ meaning nobody of the sort you mean. But suppose a doctor inquiring into an epidemic asks, ‘Who is staying in the house?’ then the lady will remember the butler, the parlourmaid, and the rest.” This highlighted a common human tendency we have to focus more on interpreting the underlying meaning or intent behind what someone says rather than merely responding to the literal words.
Chesterton went on to tell us in the story that, “All language is used like that; you never get a question answered literally, even when you get it answered truly.” Chesterton was pointing out that people often listen for the implied message, assumptions, or emotions beneath the surface, rather than taking questions at their face value.
This observation encourages us to be more aware of the nuances in communication—recognizing that conversations are frequently about understanding intentions and context, not just the explicit words spoken. It also reminds us to be mindful of how our own words might be interpreted, intentionally or unintentionally conveying more than their literal meaning. Again, language matters!
Being Thankful for Leaders and Followers
One of the things I love doing in my portfolio of services is mentoring 126 first through fourth grade high ability students for Hamilton Heights Elementary School. I love doing this because it keeps me in a teaching mode with students. As a person who coaches/mentors teachers it is important for me to stay connected facilitating learning for students. Another thing I love is the inspiration that comes from working with these students. Yesterday, while working with third graders we were discussing being thankful, and gratitude. I had them reflect on what they were thankful and grateful for.
One young man in the third grade class said he was thankful for leaders and was also thankful for followers. I was blown away. This was a third grader discussing leaders and followers. How cool is that? I asked him to explain. He told the group that leaders inspire and followers support. Pretty impressive right? Most adults don’t fully understand the importance of the leader-follower relationship.
Make no mistake, I believe everyone is a leader, but we also have to fill the follower role. Both followers and leaders are important because each plays a vital role in creating a positive and productive environment. Leaders inspire, guide, and set the direction, while followers support, provide feedback, and help implement the vision. When we appreciate both, we foster mutual respect, collaboration, and a sense of shared purpose. This gratitude encourages teamwork, strengthens relationships, and helps everyone feel valued, which ultimately leads to greater success and growth for the entire group.
This all reminded me of a discussion we had in a leadership program at the University of Oxford Saïd Business School during by Scholar in Residence program with the C. S. Lewis Foundation at The Kilns. Our professor stressed that an organization’s success relies on “followership.” Followers are many times underrepresented in leadership frameworks. The relationship between leader and follower is an important part of the organization’s culture.
When an environment is created for everyone to be a leader, followers are simultaneously leaders with the capacity for independent and critical thinking. My Oxford friends stressed that there are five distinct styles of followers:
- Effective follower
- Conformist
- Passive follower
- Alienated follower
- Pragmatic survivor
Being an effective follower involves continuous learning and growth. These are key to improving our contributions and staying aligned with our team’s evolving needs. Combine this with respect and collaboration by maintaining a positive attitude, valuing others’ perspectives, and working together toward shared goals. Embracing these qualities fosters a productive, respectful, and successful environment for everyone.
Leading Like Admiral William McRaven
I was so impressed by Admiral William H. McRaven’s keynote yesterday morning at ExcelinEd’s National Summit on Education. He began by saying, “If you are not a person of character, you will struggle in leadership and will really struggle leading in a crisis.” With this comment he really grabbed my attention. I was also reminded of how Angela Duckworth had defined character the day before in her great keynote: “Character is all the things you habitually do, think, say, and feel that are good for others and good for you.” Having encountered leaders in my career that lacked character, all this really resonated with me. To me, character is the “walk” part of “walk the talk.” Character encapsulates how we act and what we do. Whereas, “talk” is the values part of “walk the talk.” Those leaders I mentioned earlier talked a big game of values, but then we never saw the actions, or character. We cannot just say we will do the right thing, we have to actually know what the right thing is and do the right thing. Character is all about our habits. Thus why Admiral McRaven said the leader without character would struggle, especially in a crisis when our character really shows.
“The truth will always, always, always, come out.” ~ Admiral William H. McRaven
Admiral McRaven also shared leadership lessons from his great book, Conquering Crisis: Ten Lessons To Learn Before You Need Them. He outlined five key leadership components:
- Assess: we need procedures for getting facts and evaluating the quality of the information. We need a group of trusted advisors – what McRaven called a Council of Colonels. This is an advisory group that will speak the truth to power.
- Report: I love what the Admiral said here: “Always tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.” Also he told us to, “Use truth and transparency to show you understand the problem.” This helps us to personify the crisis.
- Contain: one point Admiral McRaven made here that really stood out to me here was to, “slow the pace of the crisis with one strong decisive move directed at the fastest-moving concern.” This involves us, as leaders taking control of the crisis and dictating the tempo.
- Shape: we need to actively influence situations and control the narrative. The Admiral told us to, “weaponize the truth.” He urged us to, as leaders, mold the circumstances and perception of the crisis so our organizations come out stronger on the other side, rather than just surviving it.
- Manage: This point said it all: “Reinforce your actions with a resource heavy approach to dictate the tempo and shape the outcome.” In other words, as I stated in the beginning paragraph of this post: “walk the talk”.
I love that in a conversation after his keynote with Jeb Bush, Admiral McRaven discussed the need for leaders to be humble and have the humility to listen and learn first. He discussed having a great team around him so he finish this sentence: “I need to understand…” I’ll conclude this post by saying that Admiral McRaven is one of America’s great and iconic leaders. His record shows him to be a man of character who has walked the talk and walked the walk.
Needed Therefore Belonging
I am a huge believer in “belonging.” Whether it is students in our schools or adults in our organizations, everyone needs to belong. This “belonging” is central to our engagement. When we believe that our presence and contributions matter, we feel more connected to our community—be it a classroom or a broader social environment. This sense of connection fosters trust, safety, and acceptance, making us, whether a student or adult, more comfortable to express themselves and participate actively. As a result, we develop a stronger sense of belonging, which enhances their confidence, motivation, and overall well-being. In essence, when we feel needed and appreciated, we are more likely to feel that we truly belong, supporting our growth and success.
Also, let’s not forget that along with love, belonging is on Maslow’s five tier hierarchy model of human needs. While we used to think of this hierarchy more linearly than we now know it to be, Maslow showed love/belonging to be right after physiological and safety needs. We now know that we seek multiple needs simultaneously.
Yesterday at ExcelinEd’s National Summit on Education, Angela Duckworth told us that “Every student needs to be needed.” 🎤 I loved this and thought it was a drop the mic moment. Angela Duckworth meant that every student should feel valued and important—that their presence and contributions matter. When students feel needed, it boosts their confidence, motivation, and sense of belonging, which are essential for their growth and success. She emphasized the importance of fostering environments where students recognize their importance to others, helping them develop resilience and a positive sense of self.
As leaders, let’s make sure everyone belongs!
Embracing Curiosity and Compassion: Timeless Lessons from Father Brown
Scholars have asserted that G. K. Chesterton’s character, Father Brown, has imaginative empathy. This type of empathy, as demonstrated by Father Brown in Chesterton’s stories, refers to the ability to genuinely understand and share the feelings, thoughts, and perspectives of others by using imagination and intuition. Unlike simple sympathy or rational analysis, imaginative empathy involves immersing oneself into another’s experience, often seeing the world from their point of view, even when it’s unfamiliar or complex.
From Father Brown, we learn that:
- Deep understanding fosters trust. When we, as leaders, take the time to empathize genuinely, we create stronger connections and trust with others.
- Insight leads to better decision-making. By placing ourselves in others’ shoes, we can uncover underlying motives or truths that might otherwise be missed.
- Creativity and problem-solving thrive when we embrace curiosity. Imaginative empathy encourages flexible thinking, allowing one to approach challenges from multiple perspectives.
- Emulating Father Brown’s curiosity helps us cultivate a more compassionate and open-minded attitude towards others.
By adopting imaginative empathy we enhance our ability to connect, innovate, and lead with insight and kindness—qualities essential for personal growth and effective leadership.
Leading With Questions Like Father Brown
Having just finished G. K. Chesterton’s Heretics, I began reading his Father Brown Stories. I’m only two stories in and I am already completely enthralled. Chesterton described Father Brown this way: “Father Brown had the kind of head that cannot help asking questions.”From this description we can draw valuable lessons about curiosity in leadership.
We can be a curious leader, like Father Brown. We just need to demonstrate a genuine interest in understanding different perspectives, uncovering underlying issues, and exploring new ideas. This inquisitiveness can foster a culture of continuous learning, encourage openness, and builds trust within our organizations. By asking thoughtful questions and really listening to understand the answers we receive, we invite collaboration, empower others to share their insights, and identify opportunities for growth and improvement.
Let’s face it, curiosity fuels innovation and resilience. It helps leaders stay adaptable, make informed decisions, and connect more deeply with their team members. Emulating Father Brown’s inquisitiveness can lead to a more engaged, creative, and high-performing environment in our organizations.
Rock Stars & Superstars
As I was working with some aspiring leaders this past week I reminded them that the best leaders tailor their approach by building strong relationships with all team members, fostering a culture of trust, honest feedback, and personalized support. Effective leaders recognize that each team member has unique strengths, aspirations, and motivators. In one of my favorite books, Radical Candor, author Kim Scott emphasized that every person has potential and the importance of caring personally.
We need to support both “rock stars” and “superstars.” “Rock stars,” according to Scott, are those who consistently perform well and really love the positions and roles they have. These individuals are on gradual trajectories and leaders can provide targeted coaching, encouragement, and opportunities for development. Showing genuine care and offering actionable feedback helps them grow and feel valued.
Conversely, Kim Scott describes “superstars” as high achievers with exceptional talent and ambition that want to move into positions of greater responsibility and authority. Leaders should challenge superstars to stretch their capabilities further, align their goals with organizational objectives, and offer recognition. It’s also vital to ensure superstars don’t feel overwhelmed or undervalued, nurturing their engagement and loyalty.
Living With Fiery Possibilities
I am so loving that I picked G. K. Chesterton as my next Marion E. Wade Center author to read and study. I’ve already read Orthodoxy and am about to finish Heretics. Both of these books are outstanding and I have come to appreciate Chesterton’s unique style of writing. I must admit it is not easy ready for me. I have had to go back over passages multiple times to ponder what he was wanting the reader to learn from his content. One such passage was in Chapter XIV of Heretics when he was comparing life to a novel.
Chesterton told us, “People wonder why the novel is the most popular form of literature; people wonder why it is read more than books of science or books of metaphysics. The reason is very simple; it is merely that the novel is more true than they are” (p. 82). As a person who has come to learn a great deal from works of fiction, I believe Chesterton was arguing that novels tend to reflect human nature and real life more accurately than specialized scientific or philosophical texts.
By saying the novel is “more true,” Chesterton meant that it captures the complexities, contradictions, and subtleties of everyday human experience in a way that abstract theories or factual accounts might not fully do. Essentially, novels resonate with us because they mirror the genuine messiness and richness of life, making them highly relatable and understandable to our own messy and unpredictable lives.
Chesterton went on to say, “But in order that life should be a story or romance to us, it is necessary that a great part of it, at any rate, should be settled for us without our permission. If we wish life to be a system, this may be a nuisance; but if we wish it to be a drama, it is an essential.” He was reminding us that for life to feel meaningful and exciting, like a novel, some aspects of our lives need to be beyond our control. While having a predictable, orderly system might offer comfort, it can also make life feel dull or monotonous. We need to embrace the unpredictability and surprises, that are outside our influence. These unpredictable moments, while sometimes unwanted or inconvenient, turn our lives into a vibrant story.
While it is important and necessary to have goals and plans we need to remember some things are outside our control and impact our stationary life goals. Many look at their life and career as moving up a ladder. I have always said it really is more of a lattice. Imagine life without some surprises. While we will never know exactly what that would be like, I have to believe it would tend to feel tame and unfulfilling. Life would certainly lack the fiery possibilities that arise from facing the unknown or overcoming obstacles.
Leading With A Growing Reed
When leaders have specific goals to aim for, those serve as a guiding “fixed point,” helping everyone stay accountable and aligned. One of the things we discuss a lot in education is making sure we don’t keep moving those targets so leaders truly have fixed points. I loved the metaphor G. K. Chesterton used in Heretics. He said, “A man might measure heaven and earth with a reed, but not with a growing reed.” Think about how hard it would be to measure against a reed that is growing and changing. Impossible to get a true reading, right?
The paradox, however, in the image of a growing reed that is constantly changing and flexible is that it highlights the importance of adaptability in the face of shifting circumstances. While we must have clear targets that are constant a target to work against and valuable for accountability, there’s also a need to remain open-minded and ready to adjust when new information, opportunities, or challenges arise.
We can use this paradox to our advantage to remember to balance having clear objectives (to ensure accountability) with the agility and flexibility to adapt those targets as situations evolve. As leaders we need to remember we all work in dynamic environments.
Shaping Our Path Forward: Eden’s Symbolism for Embracing Change Without Losing Sight of Our Origins
I finished Orthodoxy by G. K. Chesterton last week and I’m still working through my notes for further pondering. I was intrigued by Chesterton’s assertion that his ideal as a Christian was fixed. He said, “My ideal at least is fixed; for it was fixed before the foundations of the world. My vision of perfection assuredly cannot be altered; for it is called Eden” (p. 125). This reminded me that In Christian theology, Eden represents the original paradise created by God—a perfect, divine environment where Adam and Eve lived in harmony with God, nature, and each other before the Fall. It symbolizes innocence, purity, and innocent obedience, as well as God’s initial intention for humanity to live in a state of perfect harmony and communion with Him. Eden also serves as a reminder of the loss of this innocence due to sin, prompting the Christian hope for redemption and the eventual restoration of that perfect relationship with God in Heaven.
Chesterton was asserting that his ideal or vision of perfection was eternal and unchanging, rooted in a divine or perfect state—specifically Eden. By stating that his ideal was fixed before the foundations of the world, he emphasized its timeless and unalterable nature. Eden, as a symbol of perfect harmony and innocence, represents this ultimate, unchangeable ideal that exists beyond human fluctuations or imperfections. Essentially, Chesterton was highlighting the permanence of true perfection and the enduring desire for that ideal, which remains constant regardless of worldly changes.
G.K. Chesterton’s quote, “You may alter the place to which you are going; but you cannot alter the place from which you have come” (p. 125), suggested that while our circumstances or destinations in life may change, our origins—our background, past experiences, and foundational beliefs—remain integral and influence who we are. It emphasizes that we can’t erase or ignore our roots, and that our journey forward is always rooted in where we’ve come from. This idea encourages humility and self-awareness, reminding us to acknowledge our history as we navigate new paths.
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