November 2012: Engage in straight-talk.
/November brings an election of the 45th U.S. President and the conclusion of a campaign season that tested the best of us. Nowhere is there a better example of the need for straight-talk than in the political arena, where we are forced to fact-check everything that comes out of a candidate’s mouth.
In this environment of information overload, people crave truth and simplicity – especially from their leaders. Credibility – not spin - is the highest form of influence, and a key way to achieve credibility is to tell it straight. Being honest, forthright and authentic in your communication helps you earn the trust of your colleagues and audiences. And a little trust goes a long way.
Straight-talk means delivering the truth even when it’s bad news. It means admitting our mistakes. It demands us to talk about consequences in very realistic terms. Straight-talk means ditching the jargon and buzzwords and refusing to hide behind qualifiers and hedge words. It calls upon us to be courageous and speak our truth in terms that a high schooler can understand.
Today, give yourself a gut-check. Are you telling it straight?
PRWeb, September 2016
Susan Tardanico, CEO of the Authentic Leadership Alliance and Executive in Residence at the Center for Creative Leadership, will speak and moderate a panel on “Courageous Leadership in the New Normal” at the annual WICT (Women in Cable Television) Leadership Conference on September 19 in New York City.