Do you pride yourself on having a business that tells your customers the truth? With President’s Day this week I was reminded of the old story (myth) about our first President, George Washington, about how he supposedly cut down a cherry tree and when questioned by his father if he did this bad thing he supposedly said “I cannot tell a lie, I chopped down the tree.” If there’s some truth to be found in the story it shows that not only was George Washington leadership material based on his battlefield leadership, but he also brought a level of honesty to the Presidency, something I believe is very important for a president who not only leads while he is in office but continues to inspire long after he passes.
If you follow the news you know that Alexei Navalny died what many see as a highly suspicious death in a Russian prison this week. One of the reasons why many say that he went back to Russia in the first place, why they couldn’t make him quietly disappear, and why he can’t be wiped out of the news or history books is because he was a leader who had an innate ability to reach people (which many leaders are envious of) and because of his belief in what the truth was and willingness to communicate that to the greater world.
While our willingness to tell the truth in our businesses isn’t likely to be life or death, it’s disappointing, frustrating, hurtful, tiresome and creates a lot more work for customers (and us). When a business either provides shoddy products or overstates the truth about their products or doesn’t follow through with availability based on what they say in their marketing it adds unnecessary friction between customers and businesses. Is there room for a little story or allegory or partial truth, yes, often there is. There are also several ways to communicate the truth without being nasty or rude about it. But stories, partial truth and flowery words can’t take the place of clear descriptions, accurate arrival times, team members who know the products and services sold, easy to find (and honest!) instructions and answers, or services working as they’re supposed to and not constantly error messaging. Most people don’t want all the bells and whistles or a ‘unicorn’ product/service, they just want something that works as advertised and makes their life better or easier.
Yes, shine the best light you can on what you offer and your business, but don’t make it out to be something it isn’t or can’t be because in the end that will only give you more headaches than successes. Be a leader known for your commitment to honest quality service, a leader who is building a business where people always know that they’ll get exactly what they need at a fair price, and maybe even a leader who provides an experience that’s worth coming back to time and again (and referring their friends to also). What areas of your business are you most committed to being honest in?