Honesty is the first and most important ingredient in trust. If we question the truthfulness of another person, we question their motives and intents. Someone who habitually tells lies has questionable character. Deceit – except for a surprise party – is usually rooted in selfish desires, ultimately eroding trust. We tend to trust people who we believe are honest.
Let’s look at how honesty influences trust in the workplace.
Who’s Who in Trust
Much of business is based on transactions. There are obvious transactions to exchange money for goods or services. We engage in a basic business transaction as employees – we do “work” in exchange for a paycheck and benefits. On projects, we exchange schedule and budget for scope of work. Leaders negotiate resources in talent transactions.
Interestingly, trust is one workplace value that is not intimately tied to a transaction. Transactions involve exchange of goods or service for something of value. Trust is more like a gift – it isgiven by one person (known as the trustor) to another (known as the trustee). There are traits, characteristics, and behaviors that can be generally demonstrated to establish trustworthiness but ultimately, trust is extended only as a perception of honesty, consistency, and openness.
The definition of honesty is “truthfulness, sincerity, or frankness; freedom from deceit or fraud.” Of course, these are behaviors we want to observe in our business relationships, including transactions. How often do we hear statements like “a fair price” or “honest deal”? These imply that the business transaction is free from deceit or fraud.
What is Dishonesty?
If honesty is truthfulness and sincerity; then dishonesty is untruthful and insincere. People that are not honest and authentic resort to deceit and fraud. Because most humans, by nature, believe the best about other people, we can easily fall victim to dishonesty, deceit, or fraud. Look no further than the daily television news for stories of deceit and fraud – financial and otherwise.
Unfortunately, even small acts of dishonest behavior can impact the perceptions of others to extend trust. Someone who fails to leave a tip after great service at a restaurant may lead you to question their authenticity, especially if they claim to be generous. An employee who takes home huge quantities of office supplies to stockpile them might be deceptive in his motives. Missed deadlines after multiple promises to deliver leaves you questioning the other person’s reliability. Breaking a promise is an attitude that dismisses sincerity in the relationship.
Worse impacts to honesty and trust occur when a company guarantees a “no layoff” policy but is forced to reduce staff to keep the lights on. You feel lied to – and you likely won’t trust that firm or management again. There are also unfortunate situations where poor decisions lead to bankruptcies and loss of significant financial investments. But, if you’ve lost a lot of money, are you going to trust that organization again?
Trust and Similarity
When we’ve been lied to many times or experienced deceit and fraud in the workplace, our brains create “protection patterns”. Just like our brain tells us to slow down if we see a red traffic light, we’re trained for this behavior. Our brains can fire rescue flares when we see repeated dishonest behaviors. A certain phrase, hand gesture, or tone of voice might trigger a subconscious memory of dishonesty. So, you inadvertently gauge the other person untrustworthy. If asked, you probably can’t even pinpoint why you don’t trust them. There’s just “something” that feels “off”.
Be Honest, Be Trustworthy
Leaders must be honest to gain the trust of their teams. Recall that you cannot demand or force trust. It is earned by repeated consistent, honest behavior. You can’t fake it because human beings have “truth radar” that picks up deceit. Inauthenticity translates to dishonesty which translates to not trustworthy.
Early in my career, I worked with a second line supervisor who greeted everyone with a handshake and his full name. He had learned that people forget names easily, so he had implemented this trademark greeting. Later in my career, another manager took making rounds of his staff, shaking hands and pronouncing his name. It was clearly an act – he didn’t remember the names of the staff or their project assignments. It was all about him trying to promote himself. He was very inauthentic.
However, the second line supervisor continued his handshake and statement of his name the entire time I knew him. His goal was to make life easier for those he worked with – a behavior that built trust. The second manager was advertising himself – a selfish, and perhaps deceitful, behavior.
To Be Honest
Honesty isn’t hard. A fair price, a fair deal works for transactions. For work teams, honesty includes paying attention to your teammates’ tasks and challenges. Leaders can be vulnerable without being “weak”. Don’t make promises you can’t keep. Admit mistakes, don’t cover them up. Don’t tell lies and don’t put yourself ahead of your team or customers.
Good business is built on healthy transactions. Honesty supports trust. When you are reliable and authentic, your teams will extend trust to you. And, together, you’ll create great things!
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