I was at an afternoon event with neighbours this weekend and one of the guests told me that she was looking for a job. She said she has been looking for a while (whilst continuing her current job) and said, "I'm wondering if the reason why I can't get a new job is that because I'm too honest."

This got me a little incensed.

How many organisations hold up things like Honesty, Integrity, Truth, Respect, etc. as their corporate values, and yet when people actually tell the truth, they are marginalised or rejected by the organisation.  It could be seen as a “career limiting move”. 

I wonder…. do organisations really want the truth or are they happy in denial? I think if you asked any organisation if it wanted the truth they would say “yes!”.

I think the secret is less about WHAT the truth, but WHY and HOW the truth. Don’t get me wrong…I’m all about truth and if you are wanting to tell the truth about something in the organisation, you might like to consider:

WHY should this truth be told? Who is effected by it? Who will benefit or lose from it? What are the consequences?

HOW should you go about speaking this truth? Who is the person to influence? Are you in a position to influence? What relationships exist around this truth?

WHAT is the truth? From who’s perspective? Is it a commonly known/shared truth? Are you sure it’s the truth?