Love and Compassion for Successful Leadership - Value #4

What does it mean to be an “honest” leader with love and compassion?  Essentially, it means to be open and truthful, both individually and for anything regarding the organization that you support as a leader.   I am sure you will agree that there is a screaming need today for more corporate and transparent individual honesty.

There are challenges however.    These include egos because sometimes being honest shows that the leader may have  “screwed up” and the leader may not want to risk further embarrassment and in addition, may be afraid of potential consequences.    Another challenge is conflict avoidance - it is easier to be dishonest rather than face a conflict.
Finally, honesty takes emotional strength, and many leaders are mentally not strong enough to be honest for fear of how they will be perceived.

Regarding corporate honesty, it is imperative that there is clear and transparent communication of the realities of the industry and challenges/ results your organization is achieving currently.     It is always helpful to also honestly discuss what possibly lies ahead which includes the “good, bad, and the ugly.”   Yes, there are instances that very sensitive and/or strategic corporate information cannot be shared due to timing, and this is acceptable for good business reasons.  That said, it is not acceptable to be dishonest to the colleagues you lead because most importantly, it is not the right thing to do, and second, you and the company will not receive your colleague’s support when you need them the most if they find out you were dishonest with them.

Would love to hear your thoughts regarding corporate honesty - have you ever heard been faced with a “corporate honesty” dilemma that you would like to share?   

Next week I will blog further regarding individual leadership honesty - how do interact honestly with love and compassion in your professional and personal life?

If you enjoy these short blogs, please consider the opportunity to partner with me to present a “90 minute or half day “Love and Compassion for Successful Leaders” program.    The presentation is filled with real life, practical case studies along with  lots of interactive and fun discussions.

Hope you have a week filled with leadership love and compassion!

David