Part of the Voice I Almost Lost – Blog #22
by Alana Pierre Curry
When I was leading a team, I knew my responsibility was not only to get results—it was to lead with integrity. That meant my words mattered. My tone mattered. The truth mattered.
It was never acceptable for me to speak freely without considering the weight of my words. And if I believed something deeply, it wasn’t enough to cling to my version of the truth. My responsibility was to support my words with facts. To speak with clarity. To speak with respect.
Because leadership, no matter the scale—whether over one program or an entire nation—carries a weight that ripples outward.
I think about this often when I consider the leaders of our world. The strain their words and actions place on us all. The way one statement, one decision, can shake confidence, fuel division, or add to the daily stress people already carry. And the reality is, even being “right” can carry a heavy weight when your spirit knows that what is being called “right” is, in fact, deeply wrong.
The problem today is that there’s always a “source” to prove your point. Always an article, a statistic, or a soundbite to justify your position. But deep down, in your gut and in your spirit, you know the truth. You know what is really right. And what is best.
Right doesn’t come dressed in hate, stress, unlawful acts, or overwhelming worry. Right is grounded in what is best for the collective, not just what benefits the few.
A selfish leader will never lead people well.
As leaders, we must model what is right—not what is convenient, not what is popular, not what looks good for the moment. Because people are watching. They are learning from us. They are growing under our influence. And that influence has a ripple effect, extending beyond our teams, our organizations, and even our industries.
It’s like the six degrees of Kevin Bacon—but in leadership. The integrity of one leader can inspire another, who then inspires another, and so on. And soon, your choices, your words, your values echo in rooms you may never even enter.
So, no—you don’t have to jump on the bandwagon. You don’t have to parrot what “seems” right. You don’t have to win every argument with a headline or a talking point.
You must choose what is right. You must live it. Speak it. Lead it.
Because the weight of leadership is heavy enough. Don’t add to it by carrying what you know is wrong.