It seemed easy to just brush past accountability in a world where, according to the ongoing tally by the Washington Post, Trump made more than 30,000 misleading claims in four years. Source
Why would you want to follow someone if you suspected that they were lying or trying to trick you?
According to the Leadership Challenge Gurus if you want to:
- Become the kind of leader people want to follow.
- Get other people, by free will and free choice, to move forward together in pursuit of a common vision.
- Mobilize others to want to struggle for shared aspirations.
Then the majority of people want a leader who they believe is:
- Honest
- Competent
- Inspiring
- Forward-looking
Then I am very curious as to why we keep enabling our politicians to lie to us.
If you google trump lies the list is frightening 
The truth hurts, but lies kill. The past 12 months have demonstrated that with a terrifying clarity. Lies about Covid, insisting that it was a hoax cooked up by the deep state, led millions of people to drop their guard and get infected. And one big lie about the US election – claiming that Donald Trump had won, when he’d lost – led to the storming of the US Capitol and an eruption of violence that left five dead. Source
and its not just American politicians
Thirty five years of research by the leadership gurus have shown them, of all the qualities that people look for and admire in a leader, honesty is by far the most personal. People want their leaders to be honest because a leader’s honesty is also a reflection upon their own honesty.
They make this very poignant statement
It’s the quality that can most enhance or most damage personal reputations. If you follow someone who is universally viewed as having impeccable character and strong integrity, then you’re likely to be viewed the same. If you willingly follow someone who is considered dishonest and unethical, your own image is tarnished. In addition, there is perhaps another, subtler, reason why honesty is at the top. When people follow someone, they believe to be dishonest, they come to realize that they have compromised their own integrity. Over time, they not only lose respect for the leader, they lose respect for themselves.
Honesty is strongly tied to values and ethics. Once upon a time people appreciated leaders who took a stand on important principles. They resolutely refused to follow those who lack confidence in their own beliefs.
In reality you really are only as good as your word in the eyes of those you aspire to lead.
Why would you want to follow someone if you suspected that they were lying or trying to trick you?
Not knowing our leaders beliefs is contributing to conflict, indecision, and political rivalry.
People simply don’t trust leaders who can’t or won’t disclose or live by a clear set of values, ethics, and standards.
Honesty is the basis of trust and you have to believe that what the leader speaks or knows is true.
I am constantly seeking out role models who walk the talk.
People who turn
- values into actions,
- visions into realities,
- obstacles into innovations,
- separateness into solidarity
People who make a positive difference and create a climate in which people turn challenging opportunities into remarkable successes.
A leading example in this country in Cathy McGowan and she share her inspiring story with our leadership team this week
I am excited
It’s an interesting point. The mindset that I’ve come across is that many people assume that all politicians are liars- but at least Trump’s lies are easy to spot.