What's increasingly clear is that when you are open to a

Kenneth Chenault, a steward of enterprise and a man seasoned in the trials of leadership, once proclaimed: “What’s increasingly clear is that when you are open to a discussion of leadership, and you’re relating it to your company, it is much easier to get people to become open.” In this statement lies a truth both practical and eternal: that leadership is not a throne to be guarded, but a conversation to be shared. For when the leader lowers his defenses and opens his heart, others, too, will open theirs, and from such openness arises trust, unity, and the strength of a common purpose.

The ancients knew this lesson well. When the Spartans gathered in council, their kings did not command alone but listened to the voices of elders and warriors alike. In Athens, the art of dialogue was considered sacred, for in the sharing of words, truth was uncovered, and through truth, the city was strengthened. Chenault’s wisdom echoes this ancient principle: openness breeds openness, and a leader who begins the dialogue creates a space where others dare to speak, dare to contribute, dare to believe that their voices matter.

Consider the story of Abraham Lincoln during the storm of the Civil War. He formed a cabinet filled with rivals—men who once opposed him bitterly. Yet Lincoln invited them into open discussion, listened with patience, and allowed their perspectives to shape his decisions. By making leadership a shared conversation rather than a rigid decree, he transformed adversaries into allies, and guided a fractured nation toward survival. His example illustrates Chenault’s truth: the leader’s openness creates the soil in which trust and collaboration grow.

Chenault himself embodied this principle in his stewardship of American Express. In times of crisis, he did not retreat into secrecy, but engaged his people, inviting them to speak and share in the shaping of the company’s course. By connecting leadership to the lived reality of the organization—by making it about “our company” rather than “my rule”—he inspired openness in others. This is no small insight: that people will guard themselves unless they see the leader vulnerable enough to listen, willing enough to share, and human enough to include them in the vision.

The lesson here is radiant. Authority may command obedience, but only openness inspires loyalty. A company, a community, a family—these are not armies to be driven by force, but circles of souls who long to be heard and valued. When the leader dares to begin the dialogue, to speak not as a distant ruler but as a fellow traveler, others will follow suit. From this exchange comes creativity, from creativity comes unity, and from unity comes strength.

Practical action flows naturally from this wisdom. If you would lead, begin by listening. Invite others into dialogue not as a formality, but with genuine curiosity. Share your vision openly, but also your doubts and struggles, so that others see your humanity. When discussing leadership, frame it not in abstract terms but in relation to the work, the mission, the shared life of the group. In this way, you build a culture where openness is not demanded, but drawn forth, like water from a well.

Thus, children of the future, remember Chenault’s teaching: openness begets openness. The leader who speaks with transparency opens the doors of others’ hearts; the leader who listens with humility awakens the courage of others to speak. To lead is not to stand above, but to stand among, weaving the voices of many into one great chorus. And when that chorus rises, no challenge can silence it, for it sings not of one man’s rule, but of a shared destiny embraced by all.