I recently attended a leadership training course where we were asked to define our leadership style and our core values. We were guided through this exercise during the course but it got me thinking about my core values – the things that, when challenged, can prompt a physical reaction and an emotional response. It didn’t take me long to work out that possibly my number one value that I hold above all others is honesty.
As a mother of two grown up children I can state that honesty has not always been present in my household. As children do, boundaries are pushed and little white lies become even bigger white lies until they are just outright lies where there is nowhere left to turn. My mantra to my kids was, and still is, that if you tell the truth we can figure out a solution together…if you lie about it, you’re on your own.
Honesty plays out in my work life too. I believe that it is much better to approach all situations with honesty rather than to try to cover up mistakes or a lack of knowledge – you’ll get found out in the long run and that damages the relationships that you are trying to build. Relationships built on honesty have a foundation of trust that means that a client feels comfortable having difficult conversations with you and vice versa.
As with anything, honesty has to be approached with care. Being brutally honest is almost never a good thing. You need to consider how the person hearing your honesty will receive it. That being said, I am not a fan of wrapping things up and putting a bow on it just for the sake of it. If an honest conversation is difficult then you simply need to consider the delivery of that honesty.
There are ways to be honest with a colleague or a client that get your points heard in the right way with positive change or action being the outcome. It’s down to the language that you use and the tone that you take with people – it matters that your honesty comes from a place of caring about the person you are talking to so that they know that you are invested in them as well as a positive outcome.
In my new role as Deputy Managing Director at Skout, clients can expect me to be honest – 100% of the time. If I don’t know something I will tell them. If I don’t believe that something will deliver the results they are expecting I will approach this honestly and suggest an alternative. Honesty is at the heart of setting realistic expectations for both your team and your clients and it’s a value that I believe should be at the centre of all trusted relationships.
So next time you are speaking to a team member or a client, ask yourself this simple question, would this conversation be better or worse if I was completely honest? As long as it is done considerately then the answer is almost invariably better.
If you’re interested in learning more about Skout and what values we uphold, head over to our About Us page.
