Blog with Candor

I am perusing Small is the New Big, Seth Godin's offering from 2006, which as some nice nuggets (it is basically a collection of nuggets that you dont want to read all at once).

Seth suggest six things for leaders (CEOs) to make sure they have in order to communicate well via the blog craze.

• Candor - speak the truth, don't try to snow me or pump sunshine up my . . . trouser leg.
  
• Urgency - key to change is the introducing the angst that will help us want change.
  
• Timeliness - must talk about something that is happening or needs to happen.
• Pithiness - make it readable.
• Controversy - don't embrace timidity and positivity - create some angst and edginess.

Many leaders I know in Christian organizations (including Campus Crusade where most of my leadership experience is from) are not very comfortable with any of these. Not verbally, and definitely not in written form. There is usually an attempt to minimize controversy, smooth over urgency and it is done by avoiding candor and embracing political speak, vision casting and sunshine pumping.

This does not serve us well when we need to embrace reality and move toward radical, substantial and lasting change. A healthy critique from leadership directed at the organization they lead, allows followers the satisfaction of knowing that leadership is aware of what is needed and is engaged in changing that reality.