From the Inside Out: Lead by example

Do you remember the last time someone lied to you? Did it cause you to quit trusting the person? Did you begin to question what they’d told you in the past? Did it leave you feeling frustrated, disappointed or disillusioned? Or perhaps trust is a thing of the past, and it’s naïve to expect others to be truthful. That perhaps sometimes in business and in life, in order to get ahead, you have to lie.

Trust, the belief that you can count on the word and promise of another person, is a key characteristic of highly effective leaders and teams. When trust is present, employees are freed to focus their energies on their job and the tasks at hand. When trust is violated or lacking, energy is siphoned away from productivity into trying to figure out the truth and having to navigate a system that isn’t always as it seems.

What kind of employees do you want? Most, of course, seek to hire straightforward, trustworthy and honest individuals who have the best interest of the company and customers at heart. Employers try to avoid evasive, ever-changing, manipulative and misleading staff members.

If you want ethical and honest employees who won’t cheat you, your company or your customers, and who will do the right thing when you’re not around, I encourage you to be George Washington replicas. “I cannot tell a lie.”

I hear some of you saying it’s not always possible to tell the truth. Yes, it is. It’s just painful, embarrassing and difficult at times. That’s when character and commitment comes in.

As a leader, there will be times when there are things that you are not at liberty to share. When that’s the case, answer questions with, “I can’t answer that right now.” While you may not be able to share information, if you want people to trust you, what you do share needs to be honest and accurate.

Seven benefits of always telling the truth:

1. People won’t question what you say. When you always tell the truth, people will believe you when you speak.

2. Employees know where they stand. While it can be painful, honesty decreases stress and anxiety, and lets people know what needs to be done.

3. Conflicts are resolved more quickly. Telling the truth enables others to believe you when there has been a misunderstanding or when you say you’ll take action to correct it.

4. You don’t have to remember lies. It takes a great deal of energy to keep lies straight. When you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember what you’ve said or tell additional lies to cover the original lie.

5. Gossip decreases. When your people trust you, they won’t be talking amongst themselves trying to figure out what’s “really going on.”

6. Honesty attracts honesty. Your honesty will attract other honest people to you. It also promotes employee honesty.

7. You’ll be respected. When you refrain from lying, suspicions are lessened and when people talk about you, they will say you can be trusted. Additionally, while others may not like your position or what they are hearing, they will respect your being honest and straightforward.

While it is human nature to lie, cut corners and attend to self-interests over others, organizational cultures of honesty are possible. Trust takes time to build, but only an instant to shatter. Commit to being honest, and when you inevitably mess up, apologize and do what it takes to make things right. As the leader, you set the stage. Who wouldn’t want to work for, or do business with, an organization and leader they can trust?

Sherene works with organizations who want to boost their Leadership IQ so they can enhance effectiveness, increase employee engagement and raise productivity. Learn more at sherenemchenry.com.