Jodi Kantor Quotes

You make real progress when somebody is honest enough to say something that's really uncomfortable.

There are very few people who work for me who are afraid to tell me what I don't want to hear.

I hate diversity workshops. “Real change comes from having enough comfort to be really honest and say something very uncomfortable.

What makes a good follower? The single most important characteristic may well be a willingness to tell the truth. In a world of growing complexity leaders are increasingly dependent on their subordinates for good information, whether the leaders want to hear it or not. Followers who tell the truth and leaders who listen to it are an unbeatable combination.

As governor, part of my job is to tell people things they don't like to hear.

It's really comforting for me and Jeff, at least, that after 12 years we finally feel we've reached a place where we can be more honest, real and loving with each other. And we're finally in a band that we know is good, and deserves the credit it's getting.

The way you build trust with your people is by being forthright and clear with them from day one. You may think people are fooled when you tell them what they want to hear. They are not fooled.

It's so much easier to tell people what they want to hear instead of what they need to hear.

You know, my family and friends have never been yes-men: 'Yes, you're doing the right thing, you're always right.' No, they tell me when I'm wrong, and that's why I've been able to stay who I am and stay humble.

A truth that disheartens because it is true is of more value than the most stimulating of falsehoods.

We hold back our true feelings and beliefs, whether it's from a sense of being polite or fear of hurting someone's feelings. But what I have seen on 'The Oprah Winfrey Show' is that no one benefits from holding back and keeping things bottled up inside. So I pride myself on speaking my mind and not being afraid to give honest feedback.

My opening words to anybody I hire are, 'I'm an extremely vulnerable person.'

Your true friends will tell you what they believe is true.

If my parents don't like something, they tell me on my face. You get real feedback from them.

There are managers who always say what people want to hear. I think that's not good.

I'm a big fan of not letting the audience of off the hook, as they say. I like it when things feel real, and that's oftentimes not comfortable.

Truth is a rough, honest, helter-skelter terrier that none like to see brought into their drawing rooms.

Be real and be unashamed, even of your faults. I do truly know what my husband is made of and vice versa.

If the world ever advances beyond what it is today, it must be led by men who express their real opinions.

The idea is that for ten minutes, we forget that we have feelings. And we forget about protecting ourselves or other people and we just say the truth. For ten minutes. And then we can go back to being lame.

Often, loyalty means telling people things they don't want to hear. It's not being sycophantic, it's not telling them how wonderful they are every day. It's being willing to tell them the days they're not wonderful.

I understand that in the industry, a lot of it isn't real. Which is a difficult thing. Where I come from a lot of people are straightforward and I've had to learn how to not say exactly what I feel. Sometimes it gets frustrating being a person who says what he feels and what his heart is telling him. Every once in a while I fall into letting the industry get the best of me and not just saying exactly what I feel.

A good leader encourages followers to tell him what he needs to know, not what he wants to hear.

When you get real old, honey, you realize there are certain things that just don't matter anymore. You lay it all on the table. There's a saying, 'Only little children and old folks tell the truth.'