What is the job of leadership? Yesterday and again today, two different people in different circumstances lied about business. A friend also confided yesterday that their teenage daughter is repeatedly lying, even about things that don’t really matter—though, on reflection, of course, everything matters. Perhaps that’s where leadership comes in. Sometimes the definition of truly being a leader is saying and/or doing the thing that no one else has the courage to do. That’s the job—to do what’s best for your organization, community, people, and mission. It’s an honor and a privilege to get to participate, and access comes with a responsibility toward the truth.

Standing in front of Yves Klein’s blue monochrome Relief eponge bleu sans titre (RE40) [Untitled blue sponge relief (RE40)] (1960), I am reminded of the power of human ingenuity and the grace afforded by standing in proximity to genius. Nothing can exist without its opposite, so calling out lies for what they are allows for a celebration of truth—as well as knowing—in all its modest existence and transcendent glory, which art and artists can reveal.