Was working with a group of very bright people today, discussing the characteristics people most look for in leaders they would willingly choose to follow. Honesty is the characteristic which is most frequently cited in a survey that has been going on for over twenty years. One of the participants asked something like, “given the number or people who follow leaders who are not honest, do people really look for honesty in a leader, or do they merely say they do. Are they willing to compromise honesty for other things?” I found this to be a fascinating question. What do you think about it?. I have some thoughts, but would love to hear yours as well.
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Steve,
That is an interesting question. I’ve always thought of honesty as synonomus with integrity. My experience suggests that there are times when certain things are left unsaid. From my perspective, this is a sign of an individual who is immature or uncomfortable within an organization. One more concerned with self preservation than getting to the root of the issue. There is a ‘me’ versus ‘we’ orientation that seems to prevail, and until the environment is one that encourages and celebrates calculated risk taking, complete honesty will be lacking. I believe this is an example of ‘not’ walking the talk. We want to move the needle with aggressive, thoughful, risk taking but our actions don’t necessarily support the process.