By Les Éclaireurs, Elizabeth Laferrière, and Sarah Ouellet
Whether you work at an agency, startup, traditional corporate company, or for yourself, one essential value to cultivate in your work environment is candor.
Former SquareSpace COO Jesse Hertzberg credits professional candor, in other words a culture centered around speaking the truth, with the nourishment of courage and risk-taking in employees as well as the crucial enlightenment of decision makers about their risks and opportunities. Candor surfaces valuable ideas that might not be expressed in a less open environment, and asks hard questions so every important choice is fully informed. Candor builds “reservoirs of trust” among teammates and clients, and between managers and employees, that fuel maximum performance.
Hertzberg’s seven principles for furnishing candor in business include:
Admit What You Don’t Know. If you don’t know, say so. There is no crime in missing a deadline, screwing up, or being wrong on an educated assumption. The only sin is not admitting what you don’t know and trying to fudge your way through it.
Be Vulnerable. It’s not a weakness to show weakness. The fear of failure gets in the way of creativity. Once you accept perfection is an impossibility and that you don’t need it to be successful, you will start risking more to achieve more.
Be Nice. Candor can be the most powerful instrument in your toolbox, but don’t be a jerk. Blunt isn’t the same as candid…. Being candid is about being open with your cares and concerns, and giving advice with pure intentions. We are actually showing respect when we assume someone has the strength to hear the truth and the character to learn from it.
Speaking the truth, let alone hearing it, is not always easy. But making candor a core part of your approach to work will only benefit you.
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