Honesty As A Core Value

Honesty As A Core Value

Problem: I've found in organizations I work with that people are often unwilling to honestly talk about what's really happening. On an interpersonal level, they may hold back their real feelings about how a coworker or manager treats them. They may be afraid to speak the truth because they might hurt someone or they may be hurt by retribution from someone else.

On an organizational level, they may be afraid to be honest about what's going wrong, e.g., mistakes or failures that might be connected to them. They may be afraid of being blamed or punished. So instead they fudge (e.g., by saying "That's news to me") or lie (e.g., by saying "I was never involved in that decision") or they falsely blame another department or someone else (e.g., "It's Shipping's fault").

If people are not honest, difficult issues can't be acknowledged and resolved. So the problems, bad feelings, mistakes and failures linger.

How can you encourage your people to be more honest? How can you get them to be responsible for what they know and feel?

Solution: You have to create a culture that values and encourages honesty. You can do this by suggesting to your managers that adopting this core value would make a tangible difference in the workplace. Studies have, in fact, shown that telling the truth strengthens team-building efforts and increases morale and productivity.

You'll need to define your terms with your managers. Create a working definition of honesty, e.g., "honesty is stating an emotionally neutral description of what's really happening in a particular situation."

Once you've defined this value, you'll have to present this new core value to the rest of the organization. Gather everyone together to talk about why you've chosen to adopt this value and the practical effects this will have on your organization. Reassure your people that there will be no retribution. And make sure to model this behavior yourself so people will know you're serious.

You might create a workshop on "Honesty in the Workplace." This workshop would teach your people how to speak honestly. This process involves:

• becoming emotionally neutral by breathing deeply before speaking;
• stating the facts in a situation without interpretation, e.g., "I observed that the weekly reports have been late two weeks in a row;"

• asking open ended questions; e.g. questions that begin with "how" or "what" rather than questions that can be answered with "yes" or "no;"

• choosing not to fudge, blame or lie by sticking to the simple facts;

• brainstorming potential solutions to the problem with the other person.

Example: An executive team in the construction business was having interpersonal conflicts (e.g. , fighting and a lack of trust). On a practical level, they were struggling with a lot of incomplete work and cost overruns. I was brought in as a consultant. I told them that they were not talking honestly about their real problems with each other and the work. We spoke about honesty as a core value and I taught them how to be more honest with each other.

Results: The outcome of their renewed communication was that their projects were completed in 30% less time. Their honesty revealed the underlying emotional and operational issues and allowed them to get them resolved.

Summary: Honesty is a very valuable - though often overlooked - commodity at work. When your people choose to be more honest with you and each other, their teamwork, morale and productivity will all improve in the process.

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Michael H. Smith, Ph.D.
5801 Leona St., Ste A
Oakland, CA 94605

Tel: 510-530-7900
Fax: 510-530-7922
Email: MHSmith@MichaelHSmithPhD.Com