PLUS Five Points for Honesty

Yes, it’s true. I overheard “I’ll be open and honest with you but not right now.”

My immediate reaction? A little giggle, a raised eyebrow, and a bit of disbelief. Hmmm … At least this is an open statement, right? Bravo for not whispering. It’s worth something. Action-oriented. Clear expectations. It fits the project manager’s mnemonic of SMART – specific, measurable, attainable, relevant/realistic, and timely/timeframe – for the most part. And in theory, communications with the intent of sharing knowledge is a good thing. All good, right?

MINUS Six Points for Honesty

And then again … Uhm? For me, at the time, I remember there was something about this overheard statement that made me giggle, because I thought it was a joke – I thought it would be followed with laughter. Rather, plans were being made to coordinate schedules for a meeting time and location. While I thought this statement was unbelievable, I sat back and thought, “Why not?” I believe each person in a workspace has the right to confide in someone – and to do so in privacy. Not every cubeopolis conversation has to be shared with fellow cubesters.

As I shared in anthrocubeologist deconsructed, I am interested in, among many things, BEHAVIOR, CONNECT, and DISCONNECT in the workspace. Admittedly, while this is one of my go-to stories when others are talking about workspace nuttiness, it also has become one of my non-scientific research efforts. I find myself reflecting on this from several different angles such as –

• Why did I react the way I did when I overheard this?
• Does it matter that this was spoken by a senior person to a new hire?
• Conversely, would this matter differently if a new hire said this to a manager?
• By sharing what I overheard with others off-line and on-line, what is that saying about me?
• Is there some kind of “honesty sliding scale” where things like context, position, age, and feelings matter?

More Exploring

Here are a few things that have crossed my path on my recent pondering …

• Overheard in the Office – A web community of quotes overheard in the office … pretty straightforward.
• Steven Gaffney – My friend Maria introduced me to Steven Gaffney‘s book Just Be Honest back in the late 1990s. He did a training session at her consulting company.
• NYT 2012 Article on Open Space Plan / Cubicle – A friend sent this article. While I thought this would be an article I’d draw upon to talk about physical workspace perspectives, there is reference in the article of a person’s viewpoint on having meaningful conversations and of a decline in efficiency in performance of cognitive tasks (and promoting more noise control) in a referenced paper.
• Rules of Honesty – In addition to articles I have come across, friends and colleagues have forwarded me many “steps”, “rules”, “methods”, etc. regarding workplace honesty. Three that I quickly recollect – 3 Essential Rules to Workplace Honesty (context of co-workers, employers, managers) and How to Create an Atmosphere of Honesty in the Workplace (an employee handbook), and Honesty: The Secret to Successful Organizations (pretty straightforward stuff).
• The Four Agreements – My sister-in-law gave me this little book several years ago. Four very simple life rules.
• The Collared Sheep – Of course(!), whenever I need my fix of fellow cubesters’ rants, raves, and ponderstings, the world of tweetastic News From The Cube gets as honest (and entertaining) as can be.

When you hear the words “HONEST in the WORKPLACE” – what do you think of? Of what do these words remind you?