Honesty

When unpacking Character in the Trilateral Leadership Ledger, Brady and Woodward list honesty as part of developing and having character.

So what does it mean to be honest?  On the surface it may seem to be simple, tell the truth and don't lie, but if you unpack it from a leadership perspective, it is significantly more complex.

The Merriam-Webster online dictionary defines honesty as: "the quality of being fair and truthful : the quality of being honest"  

 It defines honest as:

1 : good and truthful : not lying, stealing, or cheating

2 : showing or suggesting a good and truthful character

3 : not hiding the truth about someone or something

So, leaders need to be honest to have and display character.  The idea of not lying, stealing, or cheating is not foreign to leadership development.  All four US service academies have an honor code that all cadets agree to upon admission to their respective academy and are held accountable to it during the entire tenure of their time as a cadet.  These codes all center around the theme of honesty for the cadets themselves and for others.

United States Air Force Academy Honor Code

 

Above is the United States Air Force Academy Cadet Honor Code.  The other three service academies, the United States Military Academy (West Point), the United States Naval Academy (Annapolis), and the United States Coast Guard Academy each have a similar cadet honor code.

 

Seems straight forward enough, and yet, not really.  It is apparent that telling the truth to others, not taking what is not yours, and not cheating in your dealings and interactions with others is essential.  BUT...

... do we do these things with ourselves as leaders.  

 

Do we tell ourselves the truth in all situations or do we lie to ourselves about our intentions and/or our actions?  

Do we steal away our time by wasting in on things that don't matter or are only done to make ourselves look good even if it is in the name of furthering others and/or the organization?

Do we not cheat ourselves out of time and success because of fear or skewed priorities?

The first step in developing character is indeed honesty, and the first step in being honest is being honest about and to yourself.  Only then can you develop the kind of character that will make people willing to follow you.

For leaders who are sincerely concerned about character development and taking the first step of establishing honesty, I highly recommend Leadership and Self Deception: Getting Out of the Box published by the Arbinger Institute.

 

Mark Twain is quoted as having said "Always tell the truth, that way you don't have to remember what you said."

 

Wise words by which to live!

Always tell the truth. That way, you don't have to remember what you said

Source: https://quotepark.com/quotes/2099868-mark-twain-always-tell-the-truth-that-way-you-dont-have-to/

Always tell the truth. That way, you don't have to remember what you said

Source: https://quotepark.com/quotes/2099868-mark-twain-always-tell-the-truth-that-way-you-dont-have-to/

Chris Brady & Orrin Woodward: "Launching a Leadership Revolution." Business Plus. New York.

 

The Arbinger Institute: "Leadership and Self-Deception." Berrtt-Koehler Publishers, Inc. Oakland, CA.