Tony Soprano was so used to being in charge — he was a mob boss, after all — that he’d blinded himself to reality. His wife Carmela was happy to shed some light on Tony’s dark spots.

“Those guys aren’t your friends. They laugh at your Corny jokes because they’re afraid of you. Not because you’re funny. You don’t have any real friends, Tony.”

With That, Tony had an uncomfortable moment of reflection. The people around Tony would never tell him the full truth if they thought it might upset Tony, or upset the underlings’ status in the mob. People couldn’t keep it real with Tony because Tony himself had unknowingly set it up that way.

Today is about you, as a leader, making sure people know they can come to you with things – both good and bad – and live to tell about it. It’s your job to make sure they feel this way.

(I got his topic idea over the years from multiple females who’ve insisted it’s key to relationships. You can use what I share and see how it works for you.)