You keep lyin’ when you oughta be truthin’, Charlotte Kok
Nancy Sinatra – of These Boots are made for Walkin’ fame – would surely approve of the objectives of this blog. Cos Charlattan Charlotte, you’ve been a messin’ where you shouldn’t have been a messin’.
(Like in the bids and tenders space.)
Now what’s right is right, but you ain’t been right yet.
Editor’s note
Barton Lee Hazlewood wrote this iconic song in the early 60s, imagining he would perform it himself. He later decided it needed a female lead to sing it. With attitude. His instructions to the chosen singer, Frank Sinatra’s eldest daughter, were to sing it “like a 16-year old girl who sleeps with truck drivers.”
Very oddly specific.
Like Charlotte’s vendettas. Or perhaps her performance management criteria.
Charlotte chimes in
I would never admit to being born in the 60s, but isn’t this 60s hit a gem? There are hidden pearls of wisdom in the words – we just need to listen carefully…
Take, for example: “You keep lyin’ when you oughta be truthin’.” Now many of you may interpret this superficially, as a commentary on honesty and integrity. But leadership requires us to think strategically.
What Nancy is really speaking to here is narrative alignment.
After all, truth without context can be deeply unhelpful.
And context, as many of you know from my Premium Elite Altitude Masterclass, is merely another word for… framing.
Editor’s note
One senses Charlotte may have drifted some distance from Nancy’s original intent.
Not unlike her meeting summaries. Or management reports.
Charlotte expands
Now some of you may find the line, “one of these days these boots are gonna walk all over you” somewhat aggressive. Admittedly, it is not especially family-friendly.
But as leaders we must avoid literal interpretations. Nancy is not advocating hostility.
She is speaking metaphorically about accountability.
Or, as we say in contemporary leadership circles: performance management.
Sometimes individuals choose to not align with organisational expectations. Sometimes they resist feedback. Sometimes they create unnecessary difficulties by insisting upon accuracy.
And one of these days… naturally and compassionately… organisational processes may need to walk all over them.
Editor’s aside
Nancy Sinatra might wish to clarify that this interpretation was neither requested nor endorsed.
The song became Nancy’s signature hit and reached No.1 in USA, UK, Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, New Zealand, South Africa, Singapore and Argentina in 1966 – the year Charlotte was born.
Oops.
Not by a long way, Charlattan Charlotte: You keep playin’ where you shouldn’t be playin’ Charlotte Kok!
And you keep thinkin’ that you’ll never get burnt…
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