Candor - the Biggest Dirty Little Secret in Business

can·dor  (kndr)

n.

Frankness, honesty, or sincerity of expression; openness.

The biggest dirty little secret in business is the lack of candor.  It blocks smart ideas, quick action, and it’s absence as a cultural norm prevents good people from contributing everything they've got. People often don't communicate in a straightforward manner; they don't put forward the kind of ideas that might stimulate real debate. Instead, they withhold comments or criticism, they sugarcoat bad news, and they keep things to themselves in order to maintain appearances. Lack of candor permeates every aspect of business, and yet it is absolutely damaging.

When candor exists, it gets more people involved in the discussion, which means more ideas get put on the table.  You get idea rich in the sense that more ideas get surfaced, examined, and improved.  Everyone opens up and learns, which brings more people and their minds into the conversation.

Candor generates speed, because when many ideas are out for debate they can be dissected, considered, and improved. Small startups move faster than their bigger brethren because they have the freedom to bounce their ideas and so reach decisions more quickly.

Candor cuts costs. Although this would be hard to quantify, candor can eliminate meaningless meetings and useless reports that state what everybody already knows.

So why don't people say what they mean? Because candor unnerves people, and because it's just easier to not speak your mind. Lack of candor is a product of the military-industrial complex that grew up after World War II. Companies of this era had virtually no global competition and so layers of bureaucracy and old-fashioned codes of social behavior led to an enforced formality and politeness. Performance appraisals could be done with a courteous remoteness. Good performers were rewarded, but poor performers could be warehoused until retirement.

Candor is vital to winning, and yet it is hard to instill it into a group because you are fighting human nature and entrenched organizational behaviors. This process will take many years. To get it, you must praise it, and talk about it. Publicly reward people who exhibit it. Most of all, you must demonstrate candor in an exuberant and enthusiastic way, even if you are not the boss. You will make meetings more productive and interesting. Candor unclutters processes, and businesses and people work better for it.

Adapted from Welch, Jack with Suzy Welch. Winning. New York: HarperBusiness, 2005.