So there I am. Minding my own business. Just listening to the new White Reaper album. Bothering absolutely no one. And then it happened…

The end of the song “Blink” hits me with the lyric, “the truth was bad, but the lie was worse,” and I had to sit down and write about it.

And because I’m feeling generous today, I’m going to hit you with TWO ways this simple lyric relates to leadership.

The cover up is worse than the crime
We’ve seen it over and over again: someone does something they shouldn’t have and, instead of taking responsibility and facing the consequences, they try to hide their misdeeds and end up getting fully torched when the truth inevitably surfaces.

The truth was bad, but the lie was worse. 

Owning a mistake has the potential to BUILD trust because doing so is difficult. A genuine apology – one that says I know what I did wrong, why it was wrong, and here’s what I’m going to do about it – is a powerful medicine. It also demonstrates that no one is infallible and everyone on this team learns, grows, and improves.

But lying, and likely lying about lying, wrecks your credibility in ways that are infinitely more damaging.

It’s your responsibility to tell people the difficult truth
The urge to gloss over a difficult truth with an underperforming team member can feel irresistible. But resist we must! 

We rationalize skipping crucial conversations because the truth is going to be a bitter pill to swallow. But withholding the truth is just another kind of lie. Withholding the truth implies things are just fine. But if things aren’t just fine, we owe our people the truth.
The truth was bad, but the lie was worse.

Having the difficult conversations lets people know where they really stand and gives them the best chance possible to understand their shortcomings and overcome them.

Having the difficult conversation gives us the opportunity to build trust by demonstrating that, good or bad, you will always be straight with them. No secrets. No surprises. 

TRY THIS:
There’s no faster way to build trust than telling the truth when it would be easier not to. Find one opportunity this week to be courageously clear, even if it’s awkward, even if it’s humbling. Honesty is leadership’s shortcut to trust.

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My free PDF, “The 5 Secrets of Impossibly Effective Teams,” will show you the simple leadership moves that help teams unlock their full potential and deliver outsized results—without burning out. Grab your copy now at geoffwelch.com/secrets