Only Honest People Make Mistakes and They Always Tell Us When They Do, by Marc LeVine

Everybody makes honest mistakes, but there's no such thing as an honest cover-up. - Price Pritchett

Are you being honest with yourself??With others??What are you really thinking when something goes wrong at work, and you have a hand in it? ?Are you inclined to immediately share the truth about what has happened with your manager and your team? Or are you more inclined to remain silent hoping the blame doesn’t land at your feet and cause unfortunate repercussions for you and your job? ?

Not being open and honest about our mistakes can have serious consequences and not just for us but for everyone. Lack of honesty can create a lack of trust between employees and their managers. This, in turn, can have a negative and ripple effect on morale and productivity, companywide. ?And let’s not forget being dishonest and or withholding key information about botched productivity or customer relations conflicts may lead to legalities if a mistake is serious enough to warrant it.

Why don’t some tell the truth when they should? They obviously fear being punished or reprimanded for their actions. ?And they may also be afraid of being considered by their co-workers as incompetent or unreliable.

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The truth must always be known by all legitimate stakeholders no matter what the consequences may be for committing errors in planning and execution. ?Being accountable and responsible for mistakes should not concern one’s personal honor and pride. ?All that should matter is the attainment of targeted goals, objectives, and results.

After any significant business error is discovered, the first thought should always be “do chances remain to guide the effort to a successful outcome?” Struggling with personal uncertainties about rather to share or withhold the truth has the potential to delay necessary and immediate actions to salvage results when things go awry.

Most mistakes can be corrected if they are identified early enough. Within the highest-functioning teams, people are held accountable for identifying problems - of any kind early - and speaking up so they can immediately be addressed and resolved. “See the truth, speak the truth, act on the truth” must be woven into the social fabric of all business operations.

To help maintain honesty and build trust, it is vitally important for companies to develop and encourage a culture where employees feel comfortable admitting their mistakes and taking responsibility for them. This can help prevent future mistakes and improve overall performance.

In our wacky world of lying, deliberately misinforming, gaslighting and sending blame to whom it does not belong, honest remains the best policy at home, school and work.

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The Author

My Recent Interview on “Engineering Success”

Marc LeVine is a graduate of Syracuse (NY) University with a degree in Industrial Psychology, Marc is currently Talent Acquisitions and Learning and Development Lead at Thermo Systems. He is the recipient of the Excellence in Talent Acquisitions Award from HR Awards in 2021.

Marc's prior employment includes senior Human Resources and Staffing Industry management roles with Edgewood Properties in Piscataway, NJ, Brickforce Staffing in Edison, NJ, InfoPro Inc. in Woodbridge NJ and Plainsboro, NJ and Harvard Industries in Farmingdale, NJ, a former Fortune 500 company. He also served as Director of Human Resources for New Jersey Press, the parent company of the Asbury Park Press, Home News and Tribune and WKXW-NJ101.5. Earlier in his career, Marc served as Director of Career Services and Placement at Union Technical Institute in Eatontown and Neptune, NJ. In addition, Marc owned and operated Integrity Consulting Associates, a New Jersey based Human Resources and Social Media Marketing firm for 11 years. Marc also served as Council President in his hometown of Freehold Borough, NJ