Ryan Leak

Selectively, right?

Like we edit, we round up, we round down, we leave details out.

We say I'm fine when we're anything but fine.

And look, I've met a few people who pride themselves on quote unquote, keeping it real, right?

OK, and, you know, these kinds of people, OK, they they say, I'm just being honest right after they say something wildly unnecessary.

OK, I don't think that that's honesty.

I think that's just a lack of filters and a long history of.

of uncomfortable family dinners.

Now, keeping it 100 does not mean you are keeping it 100% negative all the time.

Because sometimes honesty without wisdom is just noise.

But the real question that I want to ask us as we are at the very beginning of a year,

is what if a better you in 2026 is a truly more genuine, a more honest you?

Not louder, not harsher, not more opinionated, just more real, just more genuine.

I was working with a hospital system in the Midwest at the end of last year.

Very large organization, complex challenges, real pressure.

And the CEO had just been in her role for about, I don't know, six months to a year.

And before I went on stage, I was talking with one of their board members who actually had been in the room during her interview process.

And as we were watching the CEO speak to her team, I leaned over to this board member.

I said, she's a remarkable leader.

Just everything she was saying on stage just really stood out to me just from a leadership standpoint.