Let’s be honest about it… Do you have the courage to say you don’t know?

by Karen Amos

There has, rightly I’d say, been criticism of the government and the like, regarding a lack of information. This leads to statements like, ‘treating us like children’ and people translating the law according to their own preferences.

The problem is, there’s probably a lack of credible information to give right now, be this be at a government level, or within a school or businesses. We’re living in a high state of uncertainty, which brings anxiety.  This naturally leads people to think there’s something negative or sinister going on and off we all go…

Nature abhors a vacuum and in my experience, this applies to information too. Create a space and someone will fill it.  It doesn’t matter if what’s filling the space is true, credible, or even helpful – it will get filled. Just check out the tabloids if you’ve any doubt!

This is an area where Authentic Leadership provides the way forward.  Behaviours of Authentic Leaders include honesty and openness.  What Bill George calls Relational Transparency – Sharing of thoughts and beliefs with honesty and genuineness – no games or hidden agendas.

This means if you don’t know the answer to something, you say so.

Another of the behaviours is the ability to solicit or consider other viewpoints – enlisting the help and resources of those around you to help you find the right path or solution. It’s hard to admit we don’t know, particularly when we’re working in a position of authority, but done well, this will build trust and strengthen teams, not take it away.

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Karen Amos is an executive coach and founder of BrightBird Coaching & Training. She supports business owners and managers to get the best out of themselves and their teams. She brings a practical, down-to-earth approach to improving working lives through better leadership, communication and working relationships.