“That’s okay.” But, is it really? “Oh, don’t worry…it’s no problem”  But, is it really? Our words may say one thing, and yet we may think or feel otherwise. When you tell someone “it’s okay,” do you really mean it? Or, there’s an inner voice that’s telling you “I can’t believe she did that.” “I don’t think I can ever trust her again.” “I am appalled that he acted that way.” When you say “It’s okay. Don’t worry about it” you may be putting the other person at ease temporarily, but what are you doing to your own soul? Are you not ignoring your true emotions? Are you not dismissing your feelings of sadness or disappointment?  Most often we do. And, the end result is that, over time, we start building resentment and anger toward that person that builds up and becomes something uglier than it ever needed to be.

It is extremely important as a leader that you say what you mean, and mean what you say. If you use words to comfort or cover up a situation and yet you truly mean something else, you will not be able to earn your teams trust and respect. Your body language and your actions are generally much more convincing  than your words. You may say what someone wants to hear, and yet, your reaction or your body language, even though very subtle, will show your true feelings. Listen to your soul. Ask yourself, “Why do I feel this way?” “Is it really okay?” And, based on your answer, be true to yourself. It’s okay to share your feelings and thoughts with another person, so long as you do not make it into a personal attack. Keep in mind, we all have our weak moments where we may say something that hurts the feelings of someone we care about. And, it’s at times like that when we need to say “I’m sorry” “I was wrong” and hope that the other person is also understanding and forgives us.