Leadership Plays the Fool

Happy April Fools’ Day!

It is important, before we each launch our elaborately planned practical jokes, to makes sure we remember the importance of fools.

Fools have a long history as privileged people of responsibility. Throughout their history, fools have held a protected position in royal and noble households. They had license not only to amuse but also to criticize people in power. Fools were empowered to give bad news to a ruler or head of a house which no one else would dare deliver.

A fool’s folly could cleverly communicate deep truths to powerful people in the guise of humor or distraction.

Queen Elizabeth I is reported to have rebuked one of her fools for not being sufficiently severe with her. Fools and jesters are central characters in several of Shakespeare’s plays.

The leaders who inspire me learn a lot from fools.

The leaders I admire value the power of humor and perspective. They appreciate people who help them not take themselves too seriously, not miss the deep truths that can be lost in the demands of each day. The leaders who inspire me recognize the ironies of life. They enjoy laughing, even at themselves.

The leaders whose examples I try to follow also find people who will tell them the truth. Each of us is constrained by the limitations of our own ability to see clearly. We each need to give someone the privilege of telling us what we may not want to hear.

We need to trust someone the way a king would trust a fool.

The leaders who inspire me realize the value of a sense of humor and an honest voice.

How will you play the fool today?

Who would benefit by hearing the truth from you today?

[Image by Hans Splinter]