Being open and honestSelecting transcript lines in this section will navigate to timestamp in the video- Headline news stories about lying business people and celebrities remind us that dishonesty destroys trust and careers. So how do we make sure we're speaking the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth? Well, first, speak plainly and briefly. If we take a long time to answer a question or craft complex explanations, we might be hiding the truth or at least spinning it.Warren Buffett is a champion of plainspoken truths. His annual reports are peppered with phrases like on balance, my actions have cost you money, and my hope was to make acquisitionsthat would add new streams of revenue, but I struck out. Next, take a stand on issues. When we waffle on our position, we may be running from truth. Third, be diplomatic. This means being honest yet tactful. Don't justify gossip by calling it truth. Try not to say anything behind someone's back that you wouldn't be willing to say to his or her face, and to say it with the same words and the same tone. Finally, tell the whole truth, not just the technical truth. Here's an example to demonstrate what we may be tempted to say when openness is tough and how to keep ourselves honest. So this colleague of mine had an idea that would require widespread support. He came to me and directly asked, "Could you support me on this idea?" I wasn't a fan of the idea. I could lie, sure, that sounds great, and just hope he never found out if I actually went to bat for his idea or not. See, trust requires competency and relationship. I was tempted to believe that I was caring for our relationship by sparing him hurt feelings, but being lied to hurts more than rejection. I could waffle or beat around the bush. Oh, yeah, lots of people have great ideas about how to handle this problem. I think in the end what we're looking for is blah blah blah. I could be brutal and claim I was just being honest. No way, your idea is terrible. But there's no need for that. We can be honest and tactful. And finally, I could tell a partial truth. He asked me, "Could you support me?" Technical truth, I could. I'm not going to, but I could. (laughs lightly) A technical truth that misrepresents is not real honesty. Ultimately, I spoke briefly and plainly. I took a stand on the issue. I said, Janet's idea seems better to me. Here's why I'm supporting her approach. Was there a momentary sting? Yeah, I could see hurt in his eyes. But I didn't waffle. I didn't gossip about his idea behind his back. This colleague knows that I can be trusted to be open and honest. I told him the whole truth. Think of situations you've faced when hiding the truth was tempting. How did you push through to be honest? Look ahead to upcoming conversations where honesty will be challenging. Practice out loud ways you can speak a brief, plain, and whole truth.