We have already discussed in other blog entry’s the requirements for living by ones own  standards, benchmarks for how to conduct ourselves in any situation. For example, one excellent standard, especially when applied to a business situation where so many tests occur, is to keep your word and do what you say you will do.

Another important standard  is the requirements of being honest…brutally honest at all times, especially in the business environment. How many times do we tell a different story to different people depending upon who they are and what we feel would best serve our needs at that moment. Certainly we are telling the bank, our vendors, our creditor’s, our customers our employees five different versions of our economic condition.

The only approach to consider is to repeat the exact correct story every time to every person no matter what the situation and no matter what the perceived results may be. Lies, distortions, concealment’s, to board members, managers, bankers, investors, customers serves no viable purpose other then to force you to explain why you misrepresented your position when the truth finally comes out and it always does…eventually.

Honesty is not just a good idea, its a necessary tool for business and personal success. Honesty in the work place brings out the best in everyone associated, as concealment and distortion forces one to mistrust and if your employees have personal knowledge of the truth or when they gain such knowledge in the face of such corporate distortion, what are they supposed to do with it other then to acknowledge that we are living and working in a culture of lies and must perpetuate such negative energy as that is our job. This negative energy reduces performance, productivity, sense of well being, and reduces comfort even makes people ill with apprehension and mistrust as well as destroying your reputation and reducing credibility and reliability tremendously.

Also within the field of lies and distortions we weave, the occasional truth and honest remark fails to act as the beacon it should because it is surrounded with so much negative distortion and fabrication thus it is perceived as another wrinkle in the invented story, not as the truth to be relied upon.

There is the second twist, people who rely upon your remarks, when they determine they were a lie, are then very disappointed, feel totally let down and get angry at you.  Even if it is bad news, the truth releases you from the pressure of continuing the fabrication, it allows all involved to be playing on the same field making the right decisions and drawing respectful conclusions. In fact how are the people directly involved who are subject of the distortion going to be of any assistance at all if they have the wrong information because someone was not honestly reporting the truth as it is not as we hope or want it to be. Brutal and painful honesty is the way to live and the way to be at your business. The only way.

The power and success that comes out of such a practise is unmeasurable as compared to the poor results that occur when we resort to distortions, lies and fabrications. Recall the physical feeling the last time you felt it necessary to lie in a business situation, nervous tension, distress, nausea, fear, anxiety, much discomfort, much negative energy.  Recall the feeling of empowerment and release the last time you told the truth even if the information was extremely negative In a situation were you were tempted to lie but did not, exhilaration, empowerment, positive energy, clear focus and vision, are the likely  results. Honesty even has a huge positive effect on you physically. There must be something to this.

Worse yet is the necessity of remembering the variations of your story as you must live the lie over and over and its many variations as you reported different nuances to different people in different positions. The lie dejour. Not only is this no way to live, the opposite is just as true, brutal honesty in business is the foundation and are the building blocks of success. Try it, it works. Call for help 413-549-2966.