There is an old Samurai saying: "A man is but for one generation, but honor is for all generations." This is particularly
applicable to leadership. When a person assumes the mantle of leadership as a CEO, VP, director and, especially, as a frontline
manager, he or she is expected to be trustworthy of the responsibility of that position. In many circumstances, a frontline
manager is expected to lead, coach, manage, guide and help motivate a team of a dozen or so sales representatives. These people
depend on the leader to be competent, truthful, timely and faithful to the commitments of the team. If this trust is broken,
it can be devastating to everyone involved, including the company. But the question is, how do we lead with honor? What are
symptoms of dishonor? How can we be certain we remain honorable?
Honor above all
Although there are many important characteristics of an effective leader, including passion, vision and intelligence, the
most critical is honor. Honor, however, cannot stand alone – a good leader needs other qualities; but the other qualities
will not stand without honor. We need only look at the havoc induced by the dishonor-based scandals at Enron, Arthur Andersen
and even Watergate in the 1970s. Although these scandals affected thousands (if not more) of people, and cut deeply into the
lives of those affected, other subtle forms of dishonor are more common on the frontlines of leadership and can be removed
by higher awareness in leaders and some behavior changes. There is no substitute for honor. Honor is a standard above all
standards and the driving force for a "true-north compass" in business and in life.
What does honor look like? 1. Serve the truth – Commit yourself to communicating honestly and openly in all your engagements with the sole purpose of upholding the truths
that guide your relationships.
2. Exercise rectitude – Have the strength and courage to do things the right way all the time. By modeling strong moral conduct, you will serve
as an example for your reports.
3. People first ... things second – the healthcare industry is about serving people and enhancing the quality of patients' lives. As a frontline manager, your
impact is magnified as you develop the professional skills of your people while they provide information to help patients.
We should never lose sight that our success is based on our ability to help our representatives provide quality service to
our customers.
4. Your word is your bond – You serve as your representative's connection to your entire organization. If they cannot trust what you tell them, they
may lose faith in their company. Their loyalty to the organization is correlated to their trust in you.
5. Commitment means done – The simplest way to establish and build trust is to deliver on your promises. Conversely, failing to follow through is the
easiest way to lose the faith of your representatives. An honorable person does what they say they are going to do in a timely
fashion, every time.
Subtle forms of dishonor
1. Harassment in any form – This can be inadvertently expressed in gender, cultural or positional bias. Be careful how you say what you say and how
your body language reflects your meaning – harassment is based on how the "recipient" feels about what was said, done or communicated
and people may feel harassment when you don't mean to express it.
2. Chronic lateness, unpreparedness and forgetfulness – These can communicate a lack of respect and suggest that you are not committed to the urgency of business. Make a habit
of being on time and prepared.
3. Modifying/manipulating reality – This demonstrates a lack of honesty and creates an atmosphere of mistrust. Work with your reality and keep people informed.
