It is commonly said that there are two sides to every coin (even though there are actually 3), and that provides a phantastic metaphor for life. Rarely are things (ideas, objects or people) one-dimensional. Leadership is no different.

I both promote and try to live the idea of servant-minded leadership, which has a strong emphasis on loving one’s team and genuinely caring about people. I believe that this is the most authentic form of leadership. It is where one recognizes that they are uniquely positioned to positively impact the lives of those they lead through service. It is where leaders create other leaders. And it is where meaningful, world-changing connections are forged. And yet, there is a danger that the single side that emphasizes love, empathy, and compassion will diminish the other side of the “coin” of leadership.

You see, the other side of great leadership is authenticity, and (sometimes difficult) truth. Want to see your team fall apart? Be overly “compassionate” to the lowest performer (thereby putting too much on the other members of the team). Want to destroy trust? Tell your people only “nice” things. Want to diminish passion? Let people do what they want without regard to alignment with overall mission.

There are (at least) two sides to this “coin” of leadership. One is called love. The other is called truth. Both are vitally important. The first one says, “I love you as a person.” The second one says, “I love you enough to be real with you.” The first one says, “You are valuable to this team.” The second one says, “This team needs you to operate at your highest level.” The first one says, “I care about what you think.” The second one says, “I care enough about the overall team to get all sides of the story before I agree with you. Together, this is called, “loving integrity.”

Leaders, lets exemplify this post, today! Let’s start our week with a commitment to ourselves and our teams that we will be the best type of leader: one that shows loving integrity.