---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: ... the truth is that when your people…"
description: "\"... the truth is that when your people don't tell you what you need to know, it's a failure of leadership.\" — Jack McDevitt"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/988/jack-mcdevitt-8429_failure_the-truth-is-that-when-your-people-don-t_2355522.jpg"
---

#  ... the truth is that when your people don't tell you what…

![“... the truth is that when your people don't tell you what you need to know, it's a failure of leadership.” quote by Jack McDevitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/988/jack-mcdevitt-8429_failure_the-truth-is-that-when-your-people-don-t_2355522.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/988/jack-mcdevitt-8429_failure_the-truth-is-that-when-your-people-don-t_2355522.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/988/jack-mcdevitt-8429_failure_the-truth-is-that-when-your-people-don-t_2355522.jpg)

> “... the truth is that when your people don't tell you what you need to know, it's a failure of leadership.”

[Jack McDevitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-mcdevitt/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Leadership fails when leaders with essential information, leading to collective disadvantage.

**In simple terms:** Leaders must share crucial knowledge.

Key Takeaway

Promote transparent communication.

Themes

leadership information flow accountability

Mood

concerned analytical

Type

practical inspirational

When to use this quote

- team meetings
- crisis management
- policy briefings
- project planning

Key Concepts

organizational theory ethical governance

Questions to Reflect On

- How can organizations ensure knowledge sharing?
- What systems prevent information silos?

A Different Perspective

May assume all leaders are negligent.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Failure of leadership](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure-of-leadership/) [Leadership](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leadership/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/)

## Related quotes

> [Jeremy Corbyn had shown a catastrophic failure of leadership and must step down to make way for someone with the backbone to confront racism…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-smeeth/jeremy-corbyn-had-shown-a-catastrophic-failure-of-leadership-and-must/)

Ruth Smeeth

> [The most serious failure of leadership is the failure to foresee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-k-greenleaf/the-most-serious-failure-of-leadership-is-the-failure-to-foresee/)

[Robert K. Greenleaf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-k-greenleaf/)

> [The trouble with Nigeria is simply and squarely a failure of leadership,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chinua-achebe/the-trouble-with-nigeria-is-simply-and-squarely-a-failure-of/)

[Chinua Achebe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chinua-achebe/)

> [Leadership is solving problems. The day soldiers stop bringing you their problems is the day you have stopped leading them. They have either lost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-powell/leadership-is-solving-problems-the-day-soldiers-stop-bringing-you/)

[Colin Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-powell/)

> [The day soldiers stop bringing you their problems is the day you have stopped leading them. They have either lost confidence that you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-powell/the-day-soldiers-stop-bringing-you-their-problems-is-the-day-you-have/)

[Colin Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-powell/)

> [The key to leadership is having a vision, and being strong enough to say no and not try to please everybody. Thats a recipe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-mickiewicz/the-key-to-leadership-is-having-a-vision-and-being-strong-enough-to/)

[Matt Mickiewicz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-mickiewicz/)

> [“No management success can compensate for failure in leadership.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-r-covey/no-management-success-can-compensate-for-failure-in-leadership/)

[Stephen R. Covey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-r-covey/)

> [“Safety starts with management leadership and commitment. Without these, the efforts of others in the organization are almost doomed to failure. Leadership creates culture,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-g-leveson/safety-starts-with-management-leadership-and-commitment-without-these/)

[Nancy G. Leveson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-g-leveson/)

> [Failure is not a one-time event; it's how you deal with life along the way. Until you breathe your last breath, you're still in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-maxwell/failure-is-not-a-one-time-event-it-s-how-you-deal-with-life-along-the/)

[John C. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-maxwell/)

> [President Obama's decision not to go to Congress for help in establishing reasonable standards for the continued detention of Guantanamo detainees is a failure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-wittes/president-obama-s-decision-not-to-go-to-congress-for-help-in/)

[Benjamin Wittes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-wittes/)

> [The fact that we are here today to debate raising America's debt limit is a sign of leadership failure. America has a debt problem…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/the-fact-that-we-are-here-today-to-debate-raising-america-s-debt/)

[Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/)

> [The trouble with Nigeria is simply and squarely a failure of leadership. There is nothing basically wrong with the Nigerian land or climate or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chinua-achebe/the-trouble-with-nigeria-is-simply-and-squarely-a-failure-of-2/)

[Chinua Achebe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chinua-achebe/)

> [The sentiments in Hawaii about Washington's failure of leadership are no different than the rest of the country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-case/the-sentiments-in-hawaii-about-washington-s-failure-of-leadership-are/)

[Ed Case](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-case/)

> [Increasing America’s debt weakens us domestically and internationally . Leadership means that 'the buck stops here.' Instead, Washington is shifting the burden of bad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/increasing-america-s-debt-weakens-us-domestically-and-internationally/)

[Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/)

> [If I were not African, I wonder whether it would be clear to me that Africa is a place where the people do not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chimamanda-ngozi-adichie/if-i-were-not-african-i-wonder-whether-it-would-be-clear-to-me-that/)

[Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chimamanda-ngozi-adichie/)

## More by Jack McDevitt

> [The queen of virtues is the recognition of one's own flaws.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-mcdevitt/the-queen-of-virtues-is-the-recognition-of-one-s-own-flaws/)

[Jack McDevitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-mcdevitt/)

> [Tides are like politics. They come and go with a great deal of fuss and noise, but inevitably they leave the beach just as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-mcdevitt/tides-are-like-politics-they-come-and-go-with-a-great-deal-of-fuss/)

[Jack McDevitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-mcdevitt/)

> [Talking with most people usually involves a search for truth. Talking with congressmen is strictly special effects.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-mcdevitt/talking-with-most-people-usually-involves-a-search-for-truth-talking/)

[Jack McDevitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-mcdevitt/)

> [The real problem has to do with the inability by people to admit that a position they've held a long time might be wrong.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-mcdevitt/the-real-problem-has-to-do-with-the-inability-by-people-to-admit-that/)

[Jack McDevitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-mcdevitt/)

> [Lies hold civilization together. If people ever seriously begin telling each other what they really think, there'd be no peace. Good-bye to tact. Good-bye…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-mcdevitt/lies-hold-civilization-together-if-people-ever-seriously-begin/)

[Jack McDevitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-mcdevitt/)

> [Science fiction writers missed the most salient feature of our modern era: the Internet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-mcdevitt/science-fiction-writers-missed-the-most-salient-feature-of-our-modern/)

[Jack McDevitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-mcdevitt/)

> [ “...those whose tastes run to personal power \[can\] never be trusted to act save in the pursuit of their own ambition.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-mcdevitt/those-whose-tastes-run-to-personal-power-can-never-be-trusted-to-act/)

[Jack McDevitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-mcdevitt/)

> [Solitude is only a good idea if you have the right people along to share it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-mcdevitt/solitude-is-only-a-good-idea-if-you-have-the-right-people-along-to/)

[Jack McDevitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-mcdevitt/)

> [Universal deities ... never seem to smile. Not in any culture. What's the point of having omnipotence if you don't enjoy it?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-mcdevitt/universal-deities-never-seem-to-smile-not-in-any-culture-what-s-the/)

[Jack McDevitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-mcdevitt/)

> [Technological civilizations don't last long. You're all right until you get a printing press. Then a race starts between technology and common sense. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-mcdevitt/technological-civilizations-don-t-last-long-you-re-all-right-until/)

[Jack McDevitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-mcdevitt/)

> [My father used to take me to the movies on Saturdays. In 1940, when I was four years old, we encountered 'Flash Gordon Conquers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-mcdevitt/my-father-used-to-take-me-to-the-movies-on-saturdays-in-1940-when-i/)

[Jack McDevitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-mcdevitt/)

> [Of course, they (i. e., demons) had always been observed with some regularity, but that could usually be ascribed to an overabundance of piety…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-mcdevitt/of-course-they-i-e-demons-had-always-been-observed-with-some/)

[Jack McDevitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-mcdevitt/)

> [If you want creative and successful children, resign yourself to jousting with rebels.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-mcdevitt/if-you-want-creative-and-successful-children-resign-yourself-to/)

[Jack McDevitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-mcdevitt/)

> [There is no justice. There are occasional acts of vengeance, or regret, but there's no real justice. In the natural scheme of things, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-mcdevitt/there-is-no-justice-there-are-occasional-acts-of-vengeance-or-regret/)

[Jack McDevitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-mcdevitt/)

> [I was once invited to attend a private dinner for Senator John F. Kennedy. But it was a Saturday evening, and I passed. Had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-mcdevitt/i-was-once-invited-to-attend-a-private-dinner-for-senator-john-f/)

[Jack McDevitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-mcdevitt/)

[Explore all 81 Jack McDevitt quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-mcdevitt/)

## More Failure quotes

> [When you do things they're absolutely right at that time for you and it can always teach you something about yourself. You can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kym-marsh/when-you-do-things-they-re-absolutely-right-at-that-time-for-you-and/)

[Kym Marsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kym-marsh/)

> [Failures happen. You can't cry over them. You just take it in your stride because you know that you have done your best... Sometimes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/divya-dutta/failures-happen-you-can-t-cry-over-them-you-just-take-it-in-your/)

[Divya Dutta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/divya-dutta/)

> [No one is completely unhappy at the failure of his best friend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/groucho-marx/no-one-is-completely-unhappy-at-the-failure-of-his-best-friend/)

[Groucho Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/groucho-marx/)

> [“Rhiannon's Law #28: If you're going to fuck up, be sure to fuck up good and proper. Nothing makes failure acceptable, so you might…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/rhiannon-s-law-28-if-you-re-going-to-fuck-up-be-sure-to-fuck-up-good/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Failure is a part of life and you have to learn to deal with it. Failure is something that is part of life's cycle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-powell/failure-is-a-part-of-life-and-you-have-to-learn-to-deal-with-it/)

[Colin Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-powell/)

> [If my child had prejudice in his head, I'd be ashamed. I would see it as my failure as a parent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-my-child-had-prejudice-in-his-head-i-d-be-ashamed-i-would-see-it/)

[Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/)

> [First action was a mistake. What about the second? third? fourth and fifth?...Mehn you are bad...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/first-action-was-a-mistake-what-about-the-second-third-fourth-and/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [God's love never fail :)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/god-s-love-never-fail/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Don’t you just hate nights like that, when you think over every mistake you’ve made, every hurt you’ve received, every bit of meanness you’ve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlaine-harris/don-t-you-just-hate-nights-like-that-when-you-think-over-every/)

[Charlaine Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlaine-harris/)

> [“Our failure to understand another being's inner reality doesn't make that reality any less real, or any less valuable to that being. (p.255)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-schulz/our-failure-to-understand-another-being-s-inner-reality-doesn-t-make/)

[Kathryn Schulz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-schulz/)

> [I hope that the Palestinians don't make the mistake of unleashing a new intifada. They've tried it twice before, and the consequences were bad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-segev/i-hope-that-the-palestinians-don-t-make-the-mistake-of-unleashing-a/)

[Tom Segev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-segev/)

> [Don't take too much comfort in the fact that you're successful today because tomorrow could bring failure. There's no surety in life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-savage/don-t-take-too-much-comfort-in-the-fact-that-you-re-successful-today/)

[Michael Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-savage/)

> [“It took me years to learn to sit at my desk for more than two minutes at a time, to put up with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/it-took-me-years-to-learn-to-sit-at-my-desk-for-more-than-two-minutes/)

[Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/)

> [failure in the theater is more public, more brilliant, more unreal than in any other field.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lillian-hellman/failure-in-the-theater-is-more-public-more-brilliant-more-unreal-than/)

[Lillian Hellman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lillian-hellman/)

> [As we are coming to the end of the year, I want you to forget about the past, the failure, the negative thoughts or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/as-we-are-coming-to-the-end-of-the-year-i-want-you-to-forget-about/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

[Browse all 27,498 Failure quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "... the truth is that when your people don't tell you what you need to know, it's a failure of leadership.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Jack McDevitt"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-mcdevitt/the-truth-is-that-when-your-people-don-t-tell-you-what-you-need-to/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Failure"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-mcdevitt/the-truth-is-that-when-your-people-don-t-tell-you-what-you-need-to/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/988/jack-mcdevitt-8429_failure_the-truth-is-that-when-your-people-don-t_2355522.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/988/jack-mcdevitt-8429_failure_the-truth-is-that-when-your-people-don-t_2355522.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/988/jack-mcdevitt-8429_failure_the-truth-is-that-when-your-people-don-t_2355522.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“... the truth is that when your people don't tell you what you need to know, it's a failure of leadership.” — Jack McDevitt",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Jack McDevitt",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-mcdevitt/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "... the truth is that when...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-mcdevitt/the-truth-is-that-when-your-people-don-t-tell-you-what-you-need-to/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-mcdevitt/the-truth-is-that-when-your-people-don-t-tell-you-what-you-need-to/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
