Of the hundreds of qualities and attributes
that a leader can exhibit, the critical cornerstone qualities that every leader
must exemplify without exception are professional integrity and personal trustworthiness.
If you are not 100% authentic and credible,
your organization’s people will ultimately choose to neither trust you or
follow you.
While your people are constantly watching your
conduct, the decisions that you make, the way that you present yourself, it is
your interpersonal communication that your people observe most of all. Do you look them in the eye when you
converse with them? Do you shoot straight when you speak? People invariably
know when their leaders hesitate, hold back, sugar coat their message or
vacillate.
Unfortunately, there are many good leaders who
make the crucial mistake of putting their credibility in question by stating
the eight words that can potentially kill their leadership. This typically
occurs in the course of responding to insightful questions on the part of their
people by stating… “Allow me to be
completely honest with you.”
Like many everyday expressions and buzzwords,
words ultimately convey powerful messages including visual representations to
the brain. Quite often and to your potential detriment, the words that you
choose can serve to undermine your “intent” and your leadership.
There are a number of similar expressions which
as well should be stricken from your leadership communication, which include:
“Can I be frank with you?”
“May I be candid with you?”
“I’m going to be transparent with
you.”
“I’m going to be blunt with you.”
The response of “Allow me to be completely honest with you” immediately and
implicitly implies that you haven’t been appropriately honest with your staff
in the past. Although it may be quite unintentional, at that very moment the
horse is out of the barn and your personal and professional credibility come
under scrutiny and into question.
Here is the big problem with these types of
statements… they indirectly convey that you are not always honest (or an honest person). What you are in
fact emphasizing is that what you are about to say is something really special,
because you are specifically deeming it to be honest.
Your implied need to tell people that you are
honest will in fact lessen the level of trust in you as both a person and a
leader, as well as what it is that you are about to communicate.
Setting titles and positions aside, there is a
distinct difference between individuals who merely “manage” and individuals who
truly “lead”. An authentic leader is the custodian of meaningful relationships
which are based on trust where people freely and willingly choose to follow said
individual as their leader.
It is a matter of allegiance by choice. People
do not follow individuals that they do not trust.
The solution is to be authentic, open and
honest at all times (without exception).
In so doing, you will never place yourself in the position of having to tell
people that you are being honest with them. Your people will already know that
you are the real deal… a leader in whom they can confidently place their trust.
As your valued resource partner, we
look forward to assisting your organization and your people to… Learn more. Do more. Become more.
Copyright © 2015 Developing Forward
| Thomas H. Swank, CBC
