Abstract
Honesty and trust are the awareness of what is appropriate in various roles we play, behavioral patterns, and relationships. Honesty eliminates any hypocrisy or artificiality that may generate confusion and suspicion in the minds of others. Honesty is the basis of an upright life since the outer being accurately reflects the inner being.
Overview of honesty and trust
There is no discrepancy or inconsistency between the thoughts, words, and actions of a trustworthy person. Such consistency enlightens others and offer them an example or guideline to follow. Trust is visible and flawless because it can never remain hidden (Stein & Book, 2011). The outcomes of honesty and trust are visible in our actions. An honest ad trustworthy person is someone who aspires to follow a high drive that is faithful to the altruistic and universal principles of life, and whose decisions are clearly based on knowledge of what is right and wrong.
Such a person maintains a set of values that guides and gives him the courage to understand and respect the subtle relationship between the world and his life. Such a person is aware of the interdependence of the natural world. It is also worth mentioning that trust and honesty are the cornerstones of successful organizations. However, the emotional intelligence (EQ) of each employee at the workplace is closely related to honesty and trust (Elizabeth & Wolff, 2008). Hence, effective programs should be put in place to cultivate the EQ of employees.
Importance of honesty and trust at the workplace
Honesty and trust are core values that can ensure the success of a business. The vast majority of men and women in business who are very successful demonstrate a level of honesty and trust that is above average. It is not very fashionable to talk about moral values, but if an organization’s results and sales are not satisfactory, it is highly likely to raise the level of trust and honesty among customers and other stakeholders and eventually assist in reaping better returns (Scott-Ladd & Chan, 2004).
Customers usually prefer to negotiate with straight, honest, and trustworthy organizations. In fact, this is the best way for any organization to be successful in the long term. An exemplary rule of conduct enhances a lot of trust in an organization (Ghuman, 2011).
Honesty and trust are fundamental values that must dictate our professional and personal lives. If we are not free and frank with our fellow colleagues at the workplace, both in our words and in our actions, they may easily oppose our deceptive behavior and thereafter, lead to poor performance.
In today’s workplace environments and global economy, having high standards of honesty and transparency coupled with improved emotional intelligence, are major competitive advantages in a business organization. In the absence of honesty and trust, it can be cumbersome to attain a competitive advantage against other market rivals. Customers constantly test the honesty and trustworthy levels of employees. In case of any doubt, they may easily withdraw their loyalty to the organization in question.
The absence of honesty and trust at the workplace also erodes the emotional intelligence of employees both at the subordinate and senior levels. It is vital to mention that emotional intelligence is in-built and largely relies on our inner abilities to differentiate between right and wrong. An organization stands a higher chance of failing if employees lack the basic tenets of honesty, trust, and emotional intelligence.
To some extent, employers seek in their employees the same character traits that young people admire in some of their friends: a positive attitude, the ability to listen, loyalty, and commitment to friendship. They appreciate someone who will do anything to help them when they need help. But even more, they appreciate honesty and trust. These are other essential attributes of employability.
Its importance is obvious, but sometimes employees do not realize that honesty is much more than telling the truth and being in good terms with the employer. They do not always understand that it is through honesty and trust that employers weigh their personal trust, values , and moral standards as well as their abilities to adhere to the prescribed code of conduct.
Relationship between trust and performance
Most empirical studies have revealed that there is a direct relationship between trust in the workplace and business performance. The trust established by managers represents a major asset to motivate teams and increase their productivity. This implies that employees should possess the right confidence to work since the latter is a prerequisite for the impressive performance of an organization. This was the finding of a Franco-American study that looked at the relationship between trust and performance among employees and their managers in several banks in the southern United States.
Organizational relationships heavily depend on the nature of trust in place. Organizational productivity has been tagged on the aspect of trust between employees and employers. Better still, trust between employees is also a crucial component in the overall performance of an organization. This has been found to be of the utmost application when it comes to employees who work as teams or groups. In addition, the social exchange process that is highly valued by managers in organizations can only be cultivated when employees trust each other.
Employees who trust each other at the workplace also tend to develop a certain degree of expectation in regards to personal growth and development. In other words, a trustworthy workplace environment creates a harmonious atmosphere through each every stakeholder can contribute positively. Professional growth and development of employees are also cultivated in the presence of honesty and trust owing to a robust and continuous improvement in emotional intelligence. These are the same views held by students who may wish to be part and parcel of employees in different organizations (Freedman, 2012).
The process of rebuilding a broken trust
The initial step that should be taken to rebuild a broken trust is to acknowledge the existing challenge. In other words, the broken trust should be acknowledged. Once the challenge has been acknowledged, it becomes possible to proceed to the next level. Second, it is necessary to admit that you are responsible for breaking the trust. Admitting a mistake is not a weakness, as many may perceive.
It is one way of creating a friendly environment for apologizing to the offended person. Enough courage is required during the admission stage. Thereafter, apologize for what occurred. As a matter of fact, admitting that you are responsible for the broken trust shows that you are willing to apologize and accept responsibility for your actions. It is necessary to avoid excuses during the apology stage.
After the apology has been accepted, evaluate where the problem or weakness occurred in the relationship, and finally amend the situation. Develop an action plan so that the same mistake is not repeated (Ames & Flynn, 2007).
References
Ames, D. R. & Flynn, F. J. (2007). What Breaks a Leader: A Curvilinear Relation Between Assertiveness and Leadership. Journal of Personality and Social psychology, 92(2), 307-324.
Elizabeth, S. K., & Wolff, S. B. (2008). Emotional intelligence competencies in the team and team leader. The Journal of Management Development, 27(1), 55-75.
Freedman, J. (2012)..At the Heart of Leadership. How to Get Results with Emotional Intelligence. New York: Six Seconds.
Ghuman, U. (2011). Building a model of group emotional intelligence. Team Performance Management, 17(7), 418-439.
Scott-Ladd, B., & Chan, C. (2004). Emotional intelligence and participation in decision- making: Strategies for promoting organizational learning and change. Strategic change, 13(2), 95-105.
Stein, S. J. & Book, H. E. (2011). The EQ Edge: Emotional Intelligence and Your Success (3rd Ed.) Mississauga: Jossey-Bass.