Did I tell you about Monday, when I a wore a shirt inside out all day long and nobody said anything till the end of the day; till like 10 PM, “Did you know you shirt is inside out?” By that time, I had been a lot of places and had a lot of meetings.
I didn’t know.
It wasn’t a purposeful act of rebellion. It wasn’t even an act of style.
I just didn’t know. And to look closely — you would know.
So here’s what I’m left trying to figure out:
Did all those people who I sat directly in front of and talked with me for about 45 minutes at a time
also not notice or not care?
or feel too embarrassed to point out a problem?
Or maybe its me. Am I not approachable, accessible, and receptive to questions and criticism?
Have I created a culture around me that is reluctant to point out what might be wrong?
There’s a proverb that says, “He who builds a high gate invites destruction.” (Proverbs 17:19)
This is a problem. We live in a day when “our insides are out” a lot! Words are showing what is in the heart. But are we reluctant to do the Gospel work of inquiring about what is on display. It appears that criticism and truth-telling is considered disloyalty… even if the emperor has no clothes on. Perhaps the most valued capacity for the future is moral courage.
Well at least I had clothes on.
These are the things a leader must wonder about.
So here’s permission: next time you see me with my shirt on inside out, please tell me. I’ll appreciate you. I’ll probably go change it because it means I did my whole morning routine without my glasses, and didn’t notice!
You know who said something? My wife. She knows she has permission! Plus, she loves me.
I love this! Partly because the inside out shirt is so relatable and partly because I just finished a Precepts study on Proverbs and have thought long on the challenge of true friendship speaking these sometimes challenging truths (although I can’t quite see the unease in informing someone their shirt was inside out!)
And PS I cannot imagine thinking of you as unapproachable!