The first big stumble of the Obama administration is about ethics and double standards.  The American Public still made it clear they won’t tolerate that. Former Sen. Tom Daschle was forced to withdraw from consideration for secretary of Health and Human Services after a mounting debate over his back taxes.  Nancy Killefer, earlier in the day withdrew her name from consideration as Chief Performance Officer – also over tax issues.

What’s distressing is that President Obama “got it” only after the public outcry.  “I’m here on television saying I screwed up …ultimately it’s important …to send a message that there aren’t two sets of rules. You know, one for prominent people and one for ordinary folks who have to pay their taxes.” 

It’s hard to imagine that this President didn’t anticipate how angry people would be.  Whether its arrogance or expediency Tim Geithner’s appointment as Treasury Secretary was rammed through and then the White House folks started believing they could massage these other flawed appointments, too.  Getting away with it once allowed Obama to fool himself that it didn’t matter, really. 

Harvard Business Review reports this month that when asked what they look for and admire in a leader and in a colleague, people put honesty at #1.  People can accept mistakes, poor judgment or missteps but they simply won’t consider you a good leader if you aren’t honest with them.  In the President’s case, I think there is a question here of intellectual honesty - did he really believe that it was okay to give powerful people a different set of rules to live by than every day Americans, who have to prepare their taxes, pay them on time, or suffer penalties if they don’t? 

This is a leadership lesson - not just about double standards, but about intellectual honesty.  When you are honest you have to make difficult choices - you have to walk your talk.  In Motivate Like a CEO, this is one of the eight principles of motivational leadership.  When you walk the talk, people believe in you and your organization.  Acting in a way that is consistent with your words is essential to your success as a leader.  A leader who acts with integrity generates confidence and enthusiasm, and ultimately builds a motivated workforce that gets things done.  When people see you mean what you say and that they can count on you to act in concert with your principles, they believe in you and they also behave in the same way.  You win their trust, and you can trust them.  You cannot have a motivated workforce or a successful company if there isn’t a reasonable high level of trust and integrity between management and employees.

If you would like a copy of the Eight Principles of Motivating Like a CEO, please email info@bates-communications.com 

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Here is a definition of honesty that I think every leader should read.  This isn’t my definition; I found it on the web, but I think it captures the essential nature of truth in communicating with others.

Honesty is the human quality of communicating and acting truthfully related to truth  as a value. This includes listening, and any action in the human repertoire — as well as speaking.

Superficially, honesty means simply stating facts and views as best one truly believes them to be. It includes both honesty to others, and to oneself and about one’s own motives and inner reality. Honesty, at times, has the ability to cause misfortune to the person who displays it.

Source: Wikipedia www.wikipedia.com

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