Don’t Make Them Lie

What is the biggest difference between working in an environment that is built around trust and an environment that is full of paranoids?

If you trust them, you don’t have to lie. That is the huge difference — in a good way.

• When you are in trouble you can say it.
• When you need help you can ask for it.
• When you make mistakes you can admit it.
• When you are not convinced with what your boss is saying you can politely disagree.
• When you want a day off you don’t have to lie by calling in sick.

Basically, a trusted environment treats you as an adult. It gives you confidence to speak the truth. It makes you to be honest to yourself.

Yes, truth hurts sometimes. But what worse is that all the lies uncovered too late.

Unfortunately, in a paranoid environment, leaders hate the truths. They want to only hear good things. And chances are they will hear 20% of truths and 80% of lies because good things are not truths by default.

In fact, the more good things you hear, the more dangerous the real situation can be.

In fact, what you as a leader want to badly know is a sign of problems, a pattern of mistakes and a form of failure. And you can get those information only when your people dare to speak the truth.

Don’t make them lie to you and to anyone.

Don’t punish those who speak their mind with a good attitude.

Don’t only see easy-to-find information (meetings, reports) but seek hard truths from the real world yourself.

Don’t just think and talk about it. Show them. Start by always tell the truth.

Thinking and writing are the things I like. Sharing is what I love. Because of them, I write everyday to share stories from my thoughts and experiences, from the future I see and believe in. Everything I use to build Inthentic a better home. A home of people who want to do good things and give back. A home that is a small starting point of changes for a better society. I am proud of what I am doing. And even prouder to know that I am not doing it alone.

Thanks for reading. :-)