Inc. has an interesting piece about the role of honesty in management...
“Today a growing number of managers are aligning their organizations around honest self-reappraisal, while earning the trust of customers as their company evolves.”
One example:
“In his company's effective ‘Pizza Turnaround’ YouTube video, Domino's Pizza CEO Patrick Doyle admitted their pizza tasted like ‘cardboard’ with ‘processed cheese’ ... Doyle told the AP, “The old days of trying to spin things simply doesn't work anymore. Great brands going forward are going to have a level of honesty and transparency that hasn't been seen before.’ Domino's reputational score has risen by an impressive 21 percent in differentiation, by 24 percent in leadership, and by 28 percent in perceived quality...”
The story goes on, “Whether the confessional will become commercial remains to be seen. But the lessons are instructional to innovators and small business owners, who too will face crisis, valleys, and periods of denial. Too often, organizations allow an elephant to wander around the room. Candor can be a catalyst. Honesty can galvanize an organization and free up people to take risks. And by admitting to a company's struggles, a leader becomes authentic and expedient at once. The truth always gets out eventually, so why waste more time on obfuscation?
“And this is where values come into play. In our data, 72 percent of American consumers are searching for companies whose values match their own, so embracing the values of transparency and accountability constitute a smart strategy for really any brand.”
“Today a growing number of managers are aligning their organizations around honest self-reappraisal, while earning the trust of customers as their company evolves.”
One example:
“In his company's effective ‘Pizza Turnaround’ YouTube video, Domino's Pizza CEO Patrick Doyle admitted their pizza tasted like ‘cardboard’ with ‘processed cheese’ ... Doyle told the AP, “The old days of trying to spin things simply doesn't work anymore. Great brands going forward are going to have a level of honesty and transparency that hasn't been seen before.’ Domino's reputational score has risen by an impressive 21 percent in differentiation, by 24 percent in leadership, and by 28 percent in perceived quality...”
The story goes on, “Whether the confessional will become commercial remains to be seen. But the lessons are instructional to innovators and small business owners, who too will face crisis, valleys, and periods of denial. Too often, organizations allow an elephant to wander around the room. Candor can be a catalyst. Honesty can galvanize an organization and free up people to take risks. And by admitting to a company's struggles, a leader becomes authentic and expedient at once. The truth always gets out eventually, so why waste more time on obfuscation?
“And this is where values come into play. In our data, 72 percent of American consumers are searching for companies whose values match their own, so embracing the values of transparency and accountability constitute a smart strategy for really any brand.”
- KC's View:
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Here are the somewhat cynical questions that I would ask.
Does this mean that transparency, honesty and candor are marketing tools and tactics, rather than real core values that are cultural in nature? (Sure sounds like that.)
And when - and why - did obfuscation and dishonesty become accepted management tools to begin with?
Just asking.
What bothers me at some level is the notion that “honesty in business management” is even considered to be newsworthy. That alone speaks volumes.
