Even though scientific studies have demonstrated the importance of honesty at work, some institutions still try to ‘varnish the truth’ from time to time. Whether it’s trying to smooth over bumpy product launches, pitching deadlines you can’t meet, or even not taking responsibility for mistakes, plenty of workplaces aren’t as honest as they could be.
Why is that? And what are the real benefits of honesty in the workplace? Can it help you work more effectively and deliver better results to your clients?
Join us as we explore the effects of a policy of honesty on the working environment, honestly.
Establishing Leadership
Being honest is one of the most crucial business tools for business relationships, not just with clients but with employees. It may go against your intuition, but people are much more likely to trust and have confidence in a person who is honest about their mistakes than a person who pretends they never make any.
Consider this, let’s say you make a mistake that adds an extra week to a product’s completion time. Your instinct may be to try to cover it up so your employees don’t focus on the mistake you made but rather on how to solve it.
That never works. Worse, it makes you seem insecure and desperate.
On the other hand, if you’re being honest, and start discussions with your employees about how to fix the error, you present an image as someone who cares more about solving problems than pretending they don’t exist. That can only do great things for your employees’ (and your clients’) perceptions of you as a leader.
Like Brooke Goldner says, honesty is a fundamental part of a good reputation.
Honesty in the Workplace = Innovation in the Workplace
A key part of an honest life is the free and truthful exchange of ideas. Your employees and partners need to be able to feel free to approach you and offer their honest, unvarnished input for the free exchange of ideas to be, well, free!
That’s why setting an example of honest living to your workers is such a key part of running a successful business. A company that doesn’t feel able to be open with itself is only going to stagnate, wither, and die.
The company that feels able to speak its mind, on the other hand, will be dynamic, bright, and constantly evolving.
We know which one we’d rather be!
A Great Idea, Honestly
That’s a brief overview of some of the best reasons to set an example of honesty in the workplace. If you’re at all invested in your business’ success, you owe it to yourself to strive to set an example of honest living to partners, clients, and employees alike.
Because honesty is the best (corporate) policy. No, honestly!
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