Leadership: Honesty
"Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom."- Thomas Jefferson
Honesty is a facet of moral character that connotes positive and virtuous attributes such as integrity, truthfulness, straightforwardness along with the absence of lying or cheating. It involves being trustworthy, loyal, fair and sincere. It occurs when one is free of deceit, truthful, morally correct or virtuous. A honest person is viewed as being straightforward in conduct and fair. Others perceive honesty as being just, incorruptible, candid and pure.
Honesty is a key characteristic of any organization because it sets the tone for the kind of work culture that you want to create, provides consistency in workplace behavior, and builds loyalty and trust in customers, clients and prospects. Running an organization that takes pride in being ethical and socially responsible is a challenge, and many firms end up cutting more than a few corners in the name of profit. If you dig deeper into those firms, you’ll probably find that honesty isn’t prized as an important characteristic. However, it’s nearly impossible for a firm to build trust if honesty isn’t a guiding principle in how that firm handles every aspect of its work process. In business, honesty isn’t only about doing things the right away, it’s also about expressing the values in which a firm is founded.
Is HONESTY important in organizations TODAY?
The answer is a resounding YES. Honesty does a lot for organizations including:
It builds trust with your customers
Organizations spend years building loyalty and trust with their target audience, and a key method for building that trust is honesty. When customers perceive that a business does things the right way and cares about creating a quality product or service, they tend to reward that business. For years, The Reputation Institute has published an annual list of the most reputable companies in the U.S., which ranks businesses by their values, the trust they’ve built with customers, and having strong industry reputations.
People are looking for companies that not only sell products and services, but also make the world better, brighter or more meaningful in some way. In 2017, Rolex led the list, followed by perennial winner Amazon, then Sony, LEGO Group, Hallmark and Netflix. Each of these companies has created a recognizable brand that stands for quality, integrity and inspirational values that strike a chord with their customers.
Honesty creates consistent workplace behavior
When you create a culture built on honesty, you also help foster workplace behavior and activity that is consistent regardless of external influences. In other words, your employees will behave with a consistent code of ethics regardless of the circumstances. For example, an employee will remain respectful and helpful even when faced with a rude customer that is in the wrong.
It establishes your work culture
As a leader, the importance you place on honesty can create the kind of work culture in which your employees feel empowered and validated. Whether you run a top-down or a bottom-up organization, honesty is one of the most effective ways to establish the work culture that will propel your company to long-term success. Work culture is all about the values and beliefs that drive everything your company does, from how it makes its products to the way it markets those products and treats customers. For example, do you frequently solicit feedback from rank-and-file workers about how they feel about their supervisors and managers? Do you have an open-door policy that allows employees to talk to supervisors about any issue without fear of reprisal? Are you transparent with your team members about why you made a decision that affects the company?
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Honesty fosters connections in the workplace
Honesty can bring people closer by creating a safe connection. It forms a context for the relationship within which both parties feel secure enough to be genuine in their interactions. Such a relationship can invite and empower each party to work through some highly personal issues.
Honesty promotes authenticity
Honesty is a reflection of your own thoughts and feelings. If you want people to know who you really are, be honest in your self-expression.
Honesty shows you care
Being honest with yourself and with others shows how much you really care. It also demonstrates self-respect and respect for others. A caring attitude makes people stop and think. Gentle honesty is also very attractive and appealing.
Better Health for you and your direct reports
Honesty and?seeking?the truth is always the way to go. Honesty engenders confidence, faith, empowers our willpower and represents us in the best way for others to see and witness our example. Honesty improves our vitality. In an honesty experiment conducted by two University of Notre Dame professors, results showed that telling the truth is good for our health.
Honesty leads to a fulfilled Life
Honesty is going to take you places in life that you never could have dreamed and it’s the?easiest?thing you can practice in order to be happy, successful and fulfilled. Honesty is part of the foundation of our core values and principles. Honesty cuts through deception and knifes its way through deceit and lies. Honesty leads to a fulfilling, free life.
Simple Ways to be Honest
Keep It Simple and Short