Developing honesty

What you can do to develop this trait. Select the suggestion(s) that you will begin implementing within the week:

• Do what you say you’ll do. Honesty is perceived in your behavior, so make sure your actions match your words.
• Don’t make promises you can’t keep. If you think you won’t be able to turn the project in by 5:00, don’t make empty promises.  You’ll end up damaging your credibility. For a week, record every commitment you make. Return to this list daily and confirm that you honored your promises.
• Be willing to say the difficult thing. Even though it may not make them popular, the credible leader needs to point out poor performance, admit to making mistakes and say “no” when everyone else is saying “yes.”
• Other. Type in your personal plan to develop honesty.

In a magazine article titled “Honesty, integrity viewed as top leadership traits” in the American City Business Journal the author writes: “Not financial acumen. Not vision. Not creativity. What employees want most from their business leaders are basic principles in practice such as honesty, integrity, ethics and caring, according to the results of a survey conducted by Right Management Consultants. 

‘Employees today are looking for strength of character in their leaders,’ says Chris Pierce-Cooke, director of Right’s organizational consulting practice. ‘They want to shake off the hangover of last year’s corporate scandals and financial sleight of hand and be reassured that their leaders are honest, ethical and caring individuals.’ 

Mr. Pierce-Cooke noted an irony in the results of the study. 

‘Employees are confronted with continued layoffs, a spotty recovery and three years of stock market declines. But they are not looking for leaders with a magic wand or a quick fix. Instead, they seem to be yearning for fundamental leadership principles, lessons on honesty and goodness that they were more likely to have learned in elementary school than in business or law school.