Living with Courage and Wisdom When it Counts the Most
James O’Toole is a well-known professor and long-time thought leader in the world of leadership and ethics. His background in social anthropology has prepared him well to interpret social, political, and economic change to both business and elected leaders. He has also consulted with and/or coached numerous organizational leaders and their teams through times of discontinuous change. In his 2015 white paper, “Speaking Truth to Power,”[1] O’Toole references ethics lessons and insights from the ancient Greeks and relates them to contemporary ethics challenges—in particular, the different dimensions of speaking truth to those who hold positions of power.
He especially lands on this key insight from Aristotle, writing, “[Aristotle] goes on to say there are times when anger is called for and appropriate. In fact, if one does not become angry over a grave injustice, he says one cannot be considered virtuous. The secret is in knowing when to be angry and then how to direct it usefully. The virtuous person, he says, becomes angry at the right time, over the right issue, and to the right degree.”[2] He continues, drawing contemporary insight from MIT social scientist Albert O. Hirschman who wrote in the early 1970s, “…that employees who disagree with company policy have only three options: ‘exit, voice, and loyalty.’ That is, they can 1) offer a principled resignation, 2) try to change the policy (speak truth to power), or 3) remain loyal ‘team players.’”[3]
Earlier in his white paper O’Toole shares why most employees get pushed to the point of considering one of these three options. It often boils down to leaders being “…unwilling to test their operating premises about such (often taboo) subjects as (1) the nature of the working conditions they offer employees, (2) the purposes of their corporation, and (3) its responsibilities to various stakeholders.”[4] All too often, when someone dares to press the leadership of an organization on their operating premises, that same leadership either perceives the employee as being disloyal or dismisses the employee as an angry malcontent.[5] The antidote that O’Toole prescribes to leaders so that they can respond in a more differentiated manner to uncomfortable feedback from employees is to cultivate “…the ‘feminine’ virtues of humility, inclusion, vulnerability, service to others, and respect for people.”[6]
For those who are seeking to speak truth to power, O’Toole commends these points of reflection and discernment based on the work of Stephen Carter:
“1. It has to be truthful
- It must do no harm to innocents
- It must not be self-interested (the benefits must go to others, or to the organization)
- It must be the product of moral reflection
- The messenger must be willing to pay the price
- It must not be done out of spite or anger.”
It is a tall order to live such a life of courage, wisdom, and integrity when weighing all the above factors, especially when one is under duress and experiencing the soul-killing pain of organizational toxicity. My husband and I have wrestled through these dynamics multiple times over the years of serving in all too human institutions. We have tried to learn from each one and sought to more wisely speak truth to power the next time around. We have experienced the accusations of disloyalty or being malcontents. We are in the midst of discerning a courageous, wise, and integrous path forward right now with our current organization. We have, so far, sought to offer constructive feedback, continue with our work while sitting in the tension of an organization that is in process, and contribute to our organization’s change process when we are given the opportunities to do so. Thus far, we have not been pushed out. And there are ways we are seeing some positive changes in how staff are being treated and in how our organization is sorting through its values and resultant priorities and strategies. In the meantime, we continue to also prepare for a new season of ministry, trusting God’s timing for this and stretching ourselves in this journey with our current organization—taking responsibility for how we each show up in difficult conversations, working on our differentiation, and praying for the needed courage, wisdom, and integrity. I have written this using ‘we’ because it is a shared discernment journey as husband and wife. At the same time, we each have our own individual internal leadership-of-self work to do. I am grateful for the framework and space this program has given to me for my work. My husband has received a similar gift in the residency he is doing this year. So, onward in the journey of speaking truth to power and truth to ourselves.
[1] O’Toole, James. 2015. “Speaking Truth to Power: A White Paper – Markkula Center for Applied Ethics.” October 15, 2015. https://www.scu.edu/ethics/focus-areas/business-ethics/resources/speaking-truth-to-power-a-white-paper/.
[2] Ibid, 12.
[3] Ibid.
[4] Ibid., 3-4.
[5] Ibid., 11.
[6] Ibid., 10.
About the Author
Elmarie Parker
14 responses to “Living with Courage and Wisdom When it Counts the Most”
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Elmarie, I also loved this quote, “The secret is in knowing when to be angry and then how to direct it usefully. The virtuous person, he says, becomes angry at the right time, over the right issue, and to the right degree.” I appreciated that O’Toole highlights that “anger” is not bad. Certainly, we see Jesus “angry” from time to time.
What key tips have you and your husband learned in practicing speaking truth in love in your work the past decade?
Hi Eric. Thank you for your comments on my post and question. The practices that help us the most to speak truth in love in the context of our workplace are self-differentiation, self-management, and thus not reacting out of anger, but truly seeking the best of others (especially those more vulnerable in the context than ourselves) and/or seeking the best of our organization.
Such a clear summary and reflection here Elmarie. Brilliant! What is something you’ve learned about speaking truth to power, particularly when you’ve done it poorly? I’ll share my story if you share yours! haha
Hi Michael. Thanks so much for your engagement with my post and for your question. I’m always willing to learn from other’s experience! So please share also what you have learned along the way. For myself, what I’ve learned about speaking truth to power, especially when doing it poorly, is how easy it is to react out of self-defense, anger, and/or pain. I think this is a very human thing. The discipline I’ve sought to practice when I see myself moving in a reactive direction is to STOP and give myself the needed space to move from reactive, fast thinking to slow thinking where I can be more self-reflective, own my own stuff, and discern better what does need to be said. As O’Toole says, leaning on Aristotle, anger can be a useful tool when used properly…it’s that properly piece that takes me time to discern and then implement. I think after that it is courage that I then must cultivate in order to voice what I’ve discerned. That is where I am aware of some of the physiological responses that Andy mentioned in his post.
Elmarie you didn’t mention that the wisdom came from Friedman!! LOLOL
One thing Friedman says is that a self-differentiated person takes responsibility for their emotions (anger being one) and the behaviors out of it. Where do you see this sitting with what O’Toole says?
Elmarie,
Thank you for sharing your journey and vulnerability. I am pleased to hear that your organization is making progress in the right direction. How have you managed to manage your anger towards usefulness?
Hi Denise. Thank you for interacting with my post and for sharing this question…great question and one that is regularly in-front of me when anger arises. Just this week I had another occasion that left me considering how do I usefully use my anger. I think over all one of things that has emerged is pausing long-enough to really understand what has been triggered in me—understanding why I am feeling angry about a situation. From there I can better discern what next questions I need to ask of myself and of my organizational leadership. This week, it was asking for clarification of purpose for yet another requirement now placed upon us. In the process it helped me to better understand what our leadership is trying to accomplish AND clarify a few things to them on how this new requirement lands on us in the field.
Elmarie – I’m interested to know how practicing speaking truth in this situation went. Were they responsive to your questions and feedback?
Elmarie, another great post and thank you for sharing a difficult part of your own leadership journey. If you compare the culture of America and Lebanon, how would you compare the opportunities to “speak truth to power?” Whatever chapter is next for you and your husband will bless the organizations that you join!
Thank you, Roy, for your interaction with my post, encouragement, and question. I think, overall, there is much more capacity in a USA context to speak truth to power. It still comes with consequences, but the consequences are generally survivable. In Lebanon, especially since 2019, we have seen the people of Lebanon seeking to speak truth to power through the revolutionary protests. They persevered through a lot of push back from the government. But still there is a thick wall to any change. In organizations, what I hear from my Lebanese colleagues, is that there is a lot of shaming that goes on towards anyone that seeks to challenge the powers-to-be. But, I know a few women (especially) who speak truth to power and persevere and have seen change happen…but persevering is the key, along with accepting the consequences. In other parts of the Middle East, it is a different story, but ultimately, when we see violence erupt, it is because all other forms of protest and seeking to speak truth to power have not been acknowledged or responded to in any kind of transformative manner. As others have said who work in the fields of advocacy for justice, protest is the consequence of justice delayed.
Elmarie: I still find it amazing when philosophers like Aristotle, living 2,300 years ago, can dispense such wisdom like the quotes you have of Aristotle in your post. Human nature does not change and so principles like speaking truth to power never fall out of importance. The 6 rules that O’Toole gives also stuck out to me; they are so helpful and forever relevant. I have never had to speak truth to power in a ministry setting, but when/if I do, I will keep these in mind. Nice post.
Hi Troy. Thank you for your interaction with my post. Have you had to speak truth to power in a business setting? Or have you been on the receiving end of hearing truth spoken to you when you’ve been in a decision-making position of authority? If so, how did you experience that in the framework of what O’Toole shares?
Elmarie, thank you for sharing.
I know from experience too that going through such tensions and transitions in organizations we work for is difficult and confusing. What are some practices that has helped you to bring more clarity, wisdom, and strength in going through such tensions?
Hi Jonathan. Thank you for interacting with my post and for your question. I think the practices that have most helped me is working on my own self-differentiation, taking time to move from fast reactive thinking to slow thinking, and asking questions to gain clarity on why something has been said or enacted before I respond with how it has impacted me or others to whom I relate. What about for you…what have you learned in terms of helpful practices as you have navigated tense situations?