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Absolute Honesty: Building a Corporate Culture That Values Straight Talk and Rewards Integrity - Paperback | Diverse Reads

Absolute Honesty: Building a Corporate Culture That Values Straight Talk and Rewards Integrity

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An important, timely book that provides you with the tools and strategies to establish a culture in which communication thrives and results speak for themselves.

In this invaluable resource, you will discover:

  • the impact that truthfulness and accountability can have on organizations,
  • a toolbox of techniques anyone can apply to improve his or her ability to confront and resolve difficult issues,
  • and a template managers can use to maintain an environment of healthy debate.

Structured around the Six Laws of Absolute Honesty, this insightful book goes beyond simply extolling the virtues of ethics to attack the sort of passivity that allows little lies to grow into giant disasters. Companies can reap huge benefits from cultivating an atmosphere of trust.

ISBN-13: 9780814434802

Media Type: Paperback

Publisher: AMACOM

Publication Date: 06-20-2003

Pages: 288

Product Dimensions: 6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.80(d)

Age Range: 17 Years

Larry Johnson (Scottsdale, AZ) is an internationally renowned speaker and consultant whose clients include Lloyd's of London, Harley-Davidson, and Nordstrom. Bob Phillips (Bend, OR) has more than 30 years' experience as a human resources professional, including vice president positions at Tektronix and Thomson Multimedia.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"Cecil Johnson, syndicated columnist: "Absolute Honesty rises above most of the other books proclaiming honesty as the best policy that have flooded the market since the Enron and WorldCom scandals broke."

Pharmaceutical Representative: "Give the current climate of our fiercely competitive industry, and the scrutiny from government agencies in the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries, this is one you can’t be without. Use it as a template to create this kind of change in your company and any organization you belong to. Being honest and forthright with people while also being respectful is not always easy. It’s tough to fight the feeling of defensiveness or the urge to take things personally, but it’s worth it in the end. This book can show you how to do it — and do it effectively."

Jack Covert, president and founder of 800-CEO-READ and syndicated columnist: "Absolute Honesty is the book we all need to read to create a culture that could and should help us avoid nightmares like Enron, WorldCom, Tyco, Martha Stewart, and Adelphia."

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments vii
Part 1 The Challenge 1
Chapter 1 The Naked Truth 3
The Kumbaya Syndrome 4
It Ain't Easy 7
Cultures of Integrity 9
Compelling Brands 10
Competitive Advantages 12
Productive Workforces 13
Consistent Leadership 16
Positive Morale 18
Chapter 2 A Culture of Absolute Honesty 22
What Is Corporate Culture? 24
Common Behavior Patterns 25
Organizational Values and Beliefs 29
Personal Attitudes and Assumptions 37
Embarking on the Transformation 40
The Formula for Effective Change 42
The Transformation Process 46
The Six Laws of Absolute Honesty 49
Part 2 The Six Laws of Absolute Honesty 53
Chapter 3 Absolute Honesty Law #1: Tell the Truth 55
Tell the Truth: You Create Trust 56
Tell the Truth: You Do the Right Thing 57
Tell the Truth: You Discover It's Rarely as Painful as You Think 58
Tell the Truth: You Pay a Higher Price for Lying 60
Tell the Truth: You Get It Behind You 62
Tell the Truth: You Keep Things Simple 65
Eight Great Fears of Telling the Truth 66
Fear Kills the Soul 78
No Excuse for Abuse 79
Fear No Truth 80
Chapter 4 Absolute Honesty Law #2: Tackle the Problem 82
Step 1 Do Your Homework 83
Step 2 Open the Debate 90
Step 3 Open Your Ears 96
Step 4 Open Your Mouth 100
Step 5 Open Your Mind 103
Step 6 Close the Deal 108
Chapter 5 Absolute Honesty Law #3: Disagree and Commit 111
Speak Up and Disagree 113
What Leaders Can Do to Encourage Disagreement 120
Stop Whining and Commit 127
What Leaders Can Do to Encourage Commitment 135
Creating a Cultural Norm of Disagree and Commit 139
The Brutal Facts of Greatness 141
Chapter 6 Absolute Honesty Law #4: Welcome the Truth 143
Defensiveness: The Enemy of Honesty 145
Reasons for Defensiveness 151
Moving from "Attack and Defend" to "Discuss and Solve" 165
Minimizing Defensiveness in Others 168
Removing the Great Wall 174
Chapter 7 Absolute Honesty Law #5: Reward the Messenger 176
Blatant Retribution 178
Intentional but Subtle Retribution 179
Unintentional Retribution 181
Disconfirming Messages 184
Perception Can Be Reality 189
Sleazy, Wacko, Bizarre Management Practices 190
Manager's Code of Conduct 192
Truth on a Napkin 201
Chapter 8 Absolute Honesty Law #6: Build a Platform of Integrity 203
Focus on What's Important 208
It Starts with Leadership 209
Leadership Obsession = Organizational Infection 213
Create a Platform of Integrity 214
Build Your Platform on Ethical Tenets 217
Noninstrumental Ethics 219
Why Noninstrumental Ethics? 220
Establish an Ethical Foundation 224
Applying the Five Tenets to Up-Selling 227
No Easy Answers 228
Create and Stick to a Platform of Integrity 229
Base Your Platform of Integrity on Solid Ethics 230
Live by Your Platform of Integrity 233
Developing the Tenets and the Platform 235
Ethics and Profitability 239
Toward an Ethical Culture 240
Part 3 Where Do We Go from Here? 243
Chapter 9 Building an Ethical Infrastructure 245
Leadership 246
Philosophy 247
Communication 248
Training 249
Rewards and Consequences 250
Small Businesses Too 252
Don't Forget Good Judgment 253
No Guarantee, but ... 254
Chapter 10 Key Points to Help Your Implementation Efforts 255
The Naked Truth 256
A Culture of Absolute Honesty 258
Absolute Honesty Law #1 Tell the Truth 262
Absolute Honesty Law #2 Tackle the Problem 265
Absolute Honesty Law #3 Disagree and Commit 267
Absolute Honesty Law #4 Welcome the Truth 270
Absolute Honesty Law #5 Reward the Messenger 273
Absolute Honesty Law #6 Build a Platform of Integrity 276
Notes 279
Index 287