Debra Benton 
In a time when the government circulates
disinformation to fight terrorism, and executives at
Enron, Tyco, and Qwest manipulated their earnings
reports for personal gain, it’s important to remind
ourselves of the value of honesty.
Honesty is truth and integrity. If you are honest you
avoid becoming mired in fraud, deceit, artifice, and
deception.
Telling the truth is the right thing to do. Also,
sticking to the facts relieves us of the stress that
lies create. Honesty is a virtue, a signature trait of
our higher selves.
It’s not clear whether today’s atmosphere of seeming
disdain for honesty among business and government
leaders is driven by greed and cynical gamesmanship or
symptomatic of some deeper rent in the fabric of our
society. What is clear, though, is that honesty is the
right path to take in our personal, political, and
professional lives.
Conversations with executives from companies that
receive high marks for leadership are instructive.
Consider their dos and don’ts for ensuring integrity in
dispensing information:
Don’t intentionally mislead or misrepresent.
Enough mis-communication will occur on its own without
your prompting.
Don’t give a half-truth, fib, or allow a
strategic omission of information. Regardless of
how carefully you disguise the truth, someone will find
out. It will be embarrassing at the very least.
Don’t straddle the line, waltz around, or put a
spin on it. Eventually someone will find out.
Do be precise, crisp, and then move on.
Long-winded explanations get you in trouble. Like
John Wayne said, “Don’t complain, don’t explain.”
Do give the actual numbers. Say it like it
is. That is good enough.
Do understand that misunderstandings can
occur. When they do--and they will--clear them up.
You can say: “There may have been a misunderstanding,
but what I mean to communicate is . . .” Take
responsibility.
Do realize that one person’s honesty is another
person’s dishonesty. The fact is, we view the same
issue differently based on upbringing, culture,
experience, and other factors. The important thing is to
state your understanding, ask for theirs, find the
common points, and fix the ones that need to be
corrected.
Do bring uncomfortable issues out into the open
and encourage others to do the same. A lot more
effort is generally spent in “covering it up” than
“bringing it out.” For people you are associated with,
it’s better to hear bad news from you than to read it in
the press.
Don’t break promises or go back on your
word. The key is to remember your commitment. Write
it down and do it.
Do remember that your distrust of others will
often engender their distrust of you. Suspicion
breeds suspicion. When misunderstandings occur, clear
things up right away; and expect to do that more than
once.
Do be honest with yourself. You can't be
honest with others unless you are able to deal with the
truth yourself.
Don’t forget, even for a moment, that people go
to jail for dishonesty. Enough said.
It’s easy to read this and say, “Oh, yeah, I do those
things.” The real test, however, is to ask your
colleagues how they would rate your honesty.
You may well find, even as you strive to follow this
list, that you don't appear to others to be as
forthright as you may think you do. What’s important is
that we all steer harder in the direction of clear
information and away from the tangled web of
misinformation.
If you are honest in your business dealings, you add
value to your life and the world around you. You count
as one fewer deceptive player in the scheme of things
and set yourself apart from others.
It’s fundamental. Honesty is the
best policy. In business, as in life, it is critical.
Honesty will enhance your leadership ability. That’s how
you get ahead, get promoted, and get rewarded.
*******************************
Debra Benton is a best-selling author, accomplished speaker, contributing Editor, Trump University and consultant to FORTUNE 500 companies. Visit her website, http://www.ceowhisperer.com/
Your email will never be rented
or provided to anyone! | Become a ClickBank Guru!! Great Tips & Freebies!!
Referred by: ibc3000 |
Subscribe to Pathway To Success
Since 2000 published to over 138,500 Subscribers every other Sunday, our Ezine helps its Readers to succeed in their online business, providing them with top webmaster resources, hot marketing tips, profitable business opportunities, FREE advertising, articles, motivational reading, FREE Web Lions' Library, Bonuses and more.
You can also add 'Pathway To Success' and 'Subscriber Corner' Articles to Your Yahoo and/or to my RSS Feed and/or Your MSN by clicking the respective images here:
NEW!
Now you can receive Pathway directly on your Yahoo. You can subscribe by clicking the image on the right.
To check the current Issue,
please click here
HOT!
Now you can read Pathway RSS Feed in Google's New Beta RSS Online Reader. You can read it online or subscribe by clicking the image on the right. It's Free.
Also, you can get fresh content on your site. Read more below:
http://www.thecassiopeia.com/Syndication/
HOT!
Now you can get the full RSS Reader bringing you all the news from Pathway To Success Ezine Portal. Click the image on the right to download.
|
Get a Top Item the Minute It's Out - Watch News Express
Special 30-Day Success Course
11 Instalments
Yours for FREE if You Act Now!
|
|
I'm Smartie: Get Me to YOUR Desktop. Just Click Here and
Get 'Search Engine Manual' As a FREE Bonus. Click here!
Want to know why you should get Smartie?
Check here!
|
To listen to a new Top Show, click the picture.
|
Visit 'Pathway To Success' Archives and Read Past Issues 2001
Visit 'Pathway To Success' Archives and Read Past Issues 2002
Visit 'Pathway To Success' Archives and Read Past Issues 2003
Visit 'Pathway To Success' Archives and Read Past Issues 2004
Visit 'Pathway To Success' Archives and Read Past Issues 2005
Visit 'Pathway To Success' Archives and Read Past Issues 2006
 | The Success Seeds
The Entrepreneurial Bible:
Get the Entrepreneurial Mind & Crete the Wealth You Imagine. The Entrepreneurial Bible
deals with true entrepreneurship, successful entrepreneurs, profitable business, success principles, entrepreneurial myths, character streaks, income streams, investments, investment principles, discipline, motivation for a successful entrepreneur, how to behave moneywise, financial intuition, how to successfully profit on forex, how to succeed in everything a person touches and more.
Get It Here!
|
|
The roots of true achievement lie in the will to become the best that you can become.
Harold Taylor
NEW!
Install our new toolbar, get special business information fast and be informed the minute hot items are out, incl Articles here in Subscriber Corner, new Pathway To Success Issues and much more.
http://www.thecassiopeia.com/WebLions/theCassi1.zip
Note: Download the above file, unzip and install. When you open a new browser window, the toolbar should be there. If not, please go to 'View', 'Toolbars' and you will see 'theCassiopeia's' - click on it and the toolbar will display.
Whenever there's a new item, an icon will blink. Click on it and it will take you straight to the information.
Read More Business Articles
