Love correction
The humility to be reproved
Proverbs draws a blunt line between two kinds of people: whoever loves correction loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid. There is no third option. The willingness to be corrected is treated as basic intelligence, and the refusal of it as foolishness.
David embodied the better way: let a righteous man strike me, it is a kindness; let him reprove me, it is oil on my head. He received correction not as an attack to be repelled but as a gift to be welcomed — even as something soothing and good. The higher a leader rises, the rarer honest correction becomes, and the more crucial it is that they love it.
“Let a righteous man strike me, it is a kindness; let him reprove me, it is oil on my head.”
— David — Psalm 141:5 (WEB)
Welcome correction as a gift. The leader who can't take a rebuke has cut himself off from growth and from those who would help him.
“Whoever loves correction loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid.”
David received reproof as kindness, even as oil on his head. A leader formed here loves correction rather than defending against it, knowing the alternative is folly. He treats honest critics as allies. The inner work is welcoming the rebuke that pride wants to repel.
Invite and protect honest correction, especially as you rise and it grows rare. Respond to rebuke with gratitude rather than defensiveness. Reward, don't punish, the people who tell you the truth. Build a culture where correction flows freely in every direction, including toward the top.
As leaders rise, truth-tellers grow scarce and bristling at correction grows easy, sealing them off without their noticing. The blind spot is treating reproof as an attack rather than a gift.
Recall the last correction you received and how you responded. This week, deliberately invite one honest critique, and receive it with thanks rather than defense.
The higher you rise, the fewer people will tell you the truth, and the easier it becomes to bristle at the few who do. But a leader who cannot take correction has quietly sealed himself off from growth and from the very people trying to save him from a fall.
How do you actually respond to correction — do you welcome it like oil on your head, or defend yourself and punish the messenger?