What Is Leadership?

Leadership is about understanding the nuances of truth, perception, and influence and harnessing them responsibly. We often assume that what we know to be "true" is fact when emotions, desires, and personal perspectives can color truth. Imagine stepping out of a bath and thinking, "I smell better." Objectively, it is likely accurate you have used soap, washed away dirt, and refreshed yourself. However, there's also a subjectivity to it: maybe the scent is one you adore, but to someone else, it's simply neutral. This interplay between objective facts and subjective viewpoints is crucial to leadership.

As leaders, our role is twofold. First, we must develop the discernment to identify which "truths" are rooted in verifiable evidence, which are grounded in commonly shared experiences, and which stem from personal viewpoints. This can involve pausing to gather data, seeking feedback, and being willing to reconsider a perspective we have held dear. The ability to distinguish different types of truths allows us to be empathetic and precise. It means acknowledging someone's truth and an employee's feeling of being overlooked while relying on factual indicators, such as performance metrics or project outcomes, to guide decisions. This empathy is crucial to leadership, making our team members feel understood and valued.

Leadership is not just about understanding the nuances of truth but also about wielding influence responsibly. As leaders, we can shape how others see a challenge or opportunity. However, this influence should not be about manipulation. Instead, it should clarify vision, align intentions, and inspire collective action. When we have trust and credibility, we can lead people to see a situation in a way that fosters hope or resilience, even if they initially saw it differently.

It is not about imposing viewpoints. It's about guiding people toward a deeper understanding of the underlying facts while respecting emotional truths that a spreadsheet can't measure. Leadership flourishes when it balances empathy for diverse perspectives with the courage to make decisions grounded in reason and humanity. By thoughtfully integrating facts, perceptions, and emotional truths, we can create environments where people feel genuinely heard and where, collectively, we move forward with clarity and compassion. This balance between empathy and reason in decision-making reassures our team members and instills confidence in our leadership.

Leadership is about understanding people, how they think and feel, and the truths they hold dear. Yet the notion of "truth" can be far more nuanced than we might initially believe. We often assume that a particular perspective is a fact simply because it is our own experience or because it feels justified by our emotions or desires. But sometimes, the truths we cling to can be more akin to perceptions and views shaped by our personal stories or contexts rather than immutable facts. An everyday example might be stepping out of a bath and thinking, "I smell better." Objectively, yes, soap and water washed away dirt and sweat. However, subjectively, that "freshness" we experience can be colored by our favorite shampoo fragrance or even our mood. This delicate interplay between objective and subjective truths, facts, and emotions is relevant to leadership.

I've learned in my career that one of the most critical dimensions of strong leadership is developing the ability to differentiate between data-driven facts, commonly shared truths, and personal viewpoints. Data-driven facts, for instance, might include performance metrics, sales numbers, user engagement reports, and quantifiable and replicable elements. These are the "hard facts" we can test through objective measurement. Commonly shared truths, such as the idea that employees want to feel valued and recognized, can be less tangible but still widely accepted. While not always reducible to a single data point, these truths are grounded in collective experiences and repeated patterns that most people can agree upon. Finally, personal viewpoints can profoundly influence how we see the world and interact with one another, but they can also be deeply subjective. Personal viewpoints might be informed by our upbringing, current mood, or even fleeting preferences, such as whether we prefer a particular communication style.

When leaders fail to recognize the distinctions among these categories of truth, misunderstandings can arise. In my journey, whether working at tech companies or engaging in philanthropic work, I've seen the pitfalls that occur when leaders treat subjective opinions as indisputable facts. Perhaps a manager genuinely believes that a team member "isn't contributing enough" simply because that person has a quieter, more reflective work style. If that manager acts on this perception without reviewing actual performance data or seeking broader feedback, the employee's morale will suffer, and the team dynamic may fracture. Conversely, leaders who rely solely on data while discounting the emotional realities of their teams can come across as cold or detached, inadvertently stifling the creative spark and human connections that fuel innovation. The best leaders strike a thoughtful balance by validating emotional truths and viewpoints while grounding decisions in factual, verifiable information.

At the same time, leadership involves influence—an ability to guide how others understand a situation, a product, a crisis, or an opportunity. Over the years, I've observed how influence can inspire collective purpose or, in less ideal scenarios, impose a particular worldview. Both scenarios hinge on how leaders present the "truth." If you take on a business challenge, such as declining market share, you could show it as an insurmountable problem that demoralizes your team. Alternatively, you could frame it as an opportunity to rally everyone around creative problem-solving, reposition your products or services, and foster a resilience culture. The objective numbers reflecting lost customers may be the same, but how you communicate them shapes emotional responses. Genuine leadership shines when influence is used responsibly, motivating people to engage and grow rather than manipulating them into compliance.

One of my most important lessons is that influence should never be about distorting facts or concealing inconvenient truths. Authenticity is too valuable a currency to be squandered on half-truths. Teams and organizations function best when trust is built through transparency. People want to know that you have their best interests at heart, especially during challenging times. To build that trust, being open about objective data and acknowledging people's emotional realities is crucial. For example, if your team is facing layoffs or restructuring, providing clear, factual information about the reason market conditions, budget constraints, or strategic pivots—shows respect for your team's intelligence. Simultaneously, recognizing the emotional weight of uncertainty, validating anxieties, and offering support such as career counseling or skill development resources exemplify empathy. This transparency in communication makes our team members feel informed and included in the decision-making process.

Yet, there is a delicate line between guiding perception and manipulating it. We often hear about leaders whose charismatic presence can, for a while, mask poor organizational health or flawed decision-making. These leaders may rely on compelling storytelling, grand visions, or confident proclamations of "truth" to sway people's perspectives. These methods can generate excitement in the short term but may also foster an environment where dissenting opinions are silenced and critical thinking is stifled. Over time, organizations under such leaders frequently encounter crises because the actual data and the real facts cannot be disregarded indefinitely. The bubble eventually bursts when subjective viewpoints are inflated into supposedly universal truths without a verifiable basis.

That is why it is so essential to cultivate a culture of ongoing reflection. When I advocate for being all in, I mean engaging wholeheartedly with the challenges and opportunities around you in your professional and personal life. Even when it's uncomfortable truths that may challenge how you've always done things. Effective leaders solicit feedback frequently and remain humble in the face of new information. They conduct regular check-ins or "pulse surveys" to gauge team sentiment, cross-reference internal data with external benchmarks, and encourage constructive debate. By fostering a space where multiple viewpoints can be discussed openly, leaders can more accurately identify which truths are rooted in evidence, which are the product of shared observations, and which might be personal perceptions.

Moreover, the ability to acknowledge and respect personal viewpoints doesn't mean you have to adopt every perspective as your own or treat every viewpoint as equally valid in decision-making. Instead, it means genuinely seeing the world through another person's eyes and understanding the emotional truths guiding their beliefs. For example, if someone on your team says, "I don't feel valued," you don't respond by pointing to their competitive salary and annual bonus as proof that they should feel otherwise. Instead, you ask clarifying questions, such as, "Could you tell me more about the moments you feel overlooked or undervalued?" or "What forms of recognition make you feel most appreciated?" Through these conversations, you gain insight into the person's perspective, which might reveal gaps in your leadership approach that data alone wouldn't capture.

Balancing empathy and pragmatism is also essential. While we want to be sensitive to our teams' emotional landscapes, leaders must still make decisions based on what is feasible, strategic, and aligned with broader organizational goals. After all, leadership is about hearing everyone's truths and steering the organization in a direction that best serves the mission. This requires discernment and sometimes tough choices. However, when making those choices, transparent communication goes a long way. Explain your rationale, detail the data you relied upon, and acknowledge the emotional facets considered. Even if people don't entirely agree, they'll appreciate the honesty and thoroughness behind the decision-making process.

Good leadership is less about imposing viewpoints and more about weaving together diverse strands of insight, facts, communal truths, and individual perspectives to create a tapestry that elevates everyone. Doing this forms an environment of mutual respect, intellectual curiosity, and shared purpose. People feel empowered to contribute ideas without fear that their truths will be dismissed, and they recognize that decisions are made with fairness and thoughtful consideration. This approach allows for the healthy blending of objective and subjective realities, resulting in practical and deeply human solutions.

Returning to the straightforward, everyday image of getting out of a bath: yes, you likely smell better by any objective measure, but how that "freshness" is perceived can differ from one person to another. In organizations, we also have quantitative metrics to measure success, but the subjective experiences of employees, customers, and partners can vary widely. Recognizing this interplay is what sets genuinely empathetic and effective leaders apart. If we, as leaders, constantly remind ourselves that our version of truth might be just that, we create space for innovation, compassion, and growth. By weaving together our collective realities, we become better equipped to serve the individual's aspirations and the greater organizational mission. And that is the essence of leadership done well.

Bob Stone