Written by Harry Hutson, Ph.D. and published in The Practitioner’s Journal of The NTL Institute for Applied Behavioral Science in February 2019.
That post-truth is accorded airtime in public discourse signals a crisis of trust in our institutions. We cannot survive as a coherent community, polity or economy when prejudiced opinions, alternative facts, conspiracy theories and fake news are given credence. As behavioral scientists, leadership educators and executive coaches, we must discern crucial distinctions between leading and lying – and be unambiguous when we work with our clients and students. We are called to defend rationality and reasonableness as personal and professional acts of civil obedience.