“When regard for the truth has been broken down or even slightly weakened, all things will remain doubtful.” -St. Augustine
Over the past ten years, our nation’s government and business leaders seem to have re-interpreted the meaning of the term “the truth” to serve their own selfish purposes. The level of deception, misrepresentation, “spinning,” material omissions, misleading statements, and re-interpretation of the actual facts appears to be an almost daily headline to which we have become numb and almost accepting of as the new norm. But as Saint Augustine observes, we cannot have certainty without truth and the lack of direction and cloudiness of the forecast ahead is a significant dinner behind our prolonged recessionary economy. Clarity by definition requires candor and honesty.
The truth is often not pleasing to the ear or psyche. Yes, some plaid shirts do not go with striped pants. Yes, honey that dress does make you look fat. But rather than be direct, honest and deliver the news that people need to hear, we soften the blow with diluted misstatements or outright lies. Who are we really helping? How does that advance productivity or the best interests of shareholders to be in a perpetual state of performance review fabrication? If we don’t tell people what they need to hear to help themselves, how do we advance our society and the performance of our companies? Let’s make Jack Nicholson in A Few Good Men wrong and prove that people really can handle the truth.
As human beings, we tend to admire those who give us praise and have disdain for those who are critical or scornful. But we need to separate the message from the messenger. The people who offer the most value to you in your life are the ones willing to e direct, honest and genuine. Boards telling CEO’s that they are doing a great job (when they are not) and managers telling their teams that they are winning when they are losing is not a governance best practice. The same thing takes place when our teachers give students the grades they don’t deserve and our voters re-elect politicians who have not served their citizens because we are too fearful or too lazy to explore alternatives or be forthright.
Don’t get me wrong, I am a huge fan of empathy, diplomacy and tact. It is critical to always place yourself into the shoes of the person who will be receiving the message before you deliver it. It is critical to think through your words before you say them. But being tactful is not the same as telling someone what they want to hear just because you don’t want to upset or offend them. Your body language, the words you select, the verve in which you deliver the message, your level of empathy and sincerity can all be respectful to the listener without speaking a like or mistruth.
Leaders must be committed to building a culture where truth-telling is a core value, both externally and internally. Being direct and explicit must be more important than being spineless or deceiving. Managers must be rewarded for the courage of their convictions, not the fruits of their spin-control, sand-bagging or self-interest. Principles of transparency, accountability and responsibility must be embraced and the organizational sins of nepotism, turfmanship and deception must be mitigated or eliminated.
Without truth, we lack clarity. And without clarity, we cannot move towards economic recovery.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Andrew J. Sherman is a Partner in the Washington, D.C. office of Jones Day, with over 2,500 attorneys worldwide. Mr. Sherman is a recognized international authority on the legal and strategic issues affecting small and growing companies. Mr. Sherman is an Adjunct Professor in the Masters of Business Administration (MBA) program at the University of Maryland and Georgetown University where he has taught courses on business growth, capital formation and entrepreneurship for over twenty-three (23) years. Mr. Sherman is the author of twenty-three (23) books on the legal and strategic aspects of business growth and capital formation. His twenty-third (23rd) book, Harvesting Intangible Assets, Uncover Hidden Revenue in Your Company’s Intellectual Property, (AMACOM) has now been released. Mr. Sherman can be reached at 202-879-3686 or e-mail ajsherman@jonesday.com.