Last week, Richard Branson posted on LinkedIn the question:
“What kind of leadership do we need, for the future we want?”
And, I thought I
would share with you my response to him, which was a story that I am sure most are familiar with…
Once, there was an emperor so obsessed with fashion that he cared for little else.
He owned a coat for every hour and was known more for his time in the dressing room than for
ruling.
One day, two swindlers came to the city claiming to be master weavers.
They promised to make the emperor a suit of such magnificent fabric that it would be invisible to anyone unfit for their role or simply foolish.
Intrigued by the idea of identifying the incompetent in his court, the emperor paid the swindlers a large sum to begin work.
They set up looms and pretended to weave, secretly pocketing the fine silk and gold thread they received.
Curious about their
progress but afraid he might not see the cloth, the emperor sent a trusted minister to inspect the work.
The minister saw nothing but, not wanting to appear unfit or foolish, he praised the “fabric.”
A second official had the same experience.
Word spread of the emperor’s marvellous new clothes, and soon the emperor himself visited the weavers.
Like the others, he saw nothing but praised the invisible garments to avoid shame.
When the clothes were “ready,” the emperor undressed and the swindlers pretended to
dress him.
His officials acted as if they were carrying a train, and the emperor marched proudly through the streets.
The townspeople, fearing they would appear stupid, all exclaimed how wonderful the clothes were.
Then a child cried out, “But he hasn’t got anything on!”
At first dismissed as childish nonsense, the truth spread quickly.
The crowd soon echoed the child’s words.
The emperor, though inwardly shaken, continued his procession with dignity—pretending everything was fine.
The Lesson:
This classic tale reminds us of the danger of being surrounded with “yes men.”
People who tell you what
you want to hear, not what you need to know.
The emperor’s pride and fear of being seen as weak led him to believe a lie, encouraged by those who also feared appearing foolish.
In the end, it took the honesty of a child to reveal the truth that no one else dared to speak.
Strong leadership is not about pride or appearances.
It’s about listening to honest feedback, encouraging truth over flattery, and being humble enough to admit when something is wrong.
Only then can real progress—and real
leadership—begin.
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Thought For The Day
"Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely!"
