Honesty

It's not often you see the parallels between stand-up comedy and business leadership, but I noticed one recently.

For fans of stand-up comedy, there's a recognizable threshold that establishes whether a comic has talent. It's the moment you feel an instinctive, full-body response take over. A moment when you suspect you shouldn't be laughing, but you're powerless to stop the visceral cascade that has culminated in belly-aching guffaws. A moment when you're made to laugh because you're unable to resist the impulse. This is the moment you respect and admire the comic for having engineered such a reaction.

The prime mover of that reaction is honesty. It's usually a moment when the comic walks right up to a conspicuous but unspoken truth and then publicly scrutinizes it. Impressively and improbably, the comic avoids the landmines surrounding this truth, tiptoeing along a razor-thin passage between untouchable taboos.

There's a version of such honesty in business, and I'll share a quick story to illustrate.?

A sales rep was leading a call about the renewal of a client's software contract. At the start of the call, the client made a comment that clearly had a double meaning. Ostensibly, the client wanted to applaud the rep for having increased support in the lead-up to this renewal. The client characterized the rep's efforts as 'savvy'. Then the conversation moved on to the formal agenda. It seemed there was no need to linger on this drive-by observation.

Subconsciously, however, the word 'savvy' hung in the air. Lightly and obliquely, perhaps even accidentally, the client had combined a compliment with a criticism. While it hadn't been stated explicitly, the implication was that these last-ditch efforts from the rep might — just might — have been largely self-serving.

The call continued in a productive and high-spirited tone until the last few minutes. Then the rep became the most honest person in the room, saying something to this effect:

"Just before we wrap, I must admit that throughout our conversation I've been thinking about something you said at the top of the call. You used a word that's been replaying in my head ever since. The word was 'savvy', and I wanted to quickly comment on it, if you don't mind.

I can't help but imagine a part of you suspects I'm not fully committed to this partnership. I can't shake the sense you're concerned I might be just like the other reps who talk a big game before renewal, and then quietly recede into the background after the contract is signed.

I completely understand that concern. I know you have plenty of evidence for it, even just looking at the history of how my predecessors have managed this relationship. But I want you to understand MY partnership philosophy. I want you to know how seriously I take this responsibility."

You could have heard a pin drop as these words were spoken. The client was transfixed, and then visibly reassured. It was a wonderful display of leadership.

Human reasoning is essentially social, and because social communities are so complex, there's a prevailing tendency to smooth the edges of truth, to state one's case cagily and cautiously. In this context, there's tremendous leadership potential for those who have the courage and clarity to call out what is understood but rarely said.

Leadership demands more than a rank or title. It calls for an ability to break psychological impasses with a fresh and fearless perspective, bringing the conversation to a more fruitful place. Honesty is the precondition of that skill.