Tag Archives: honesty

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heart work

Heart Work Makes a Difference

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Are you putting in heart work? This is what we do when we are honest, sincere, and work from our heart. Some may say, authentic.

At first you may have wondered if “heart work” was a typo. No, it is not a typo.

In the late 1980’s, I used a piece of scotch tape to adhere a little quote cut from a magazine to the side of my amber computer monitor. Although I don’t know who deserves the credit, the quote was something like this, “Be honest and work from your heart, when you love what you do, you’ll do a good job.”

I’ve never forgotten it.

Heart Work

Working from your heart makes a difference. It feels different to you and it looks, feels, and sounds different to your coworkers.

Recently, at the end of a speaking engagement an audience member asked me, “How do you recommend engaging people in your workplace for a change that they may not agree with?”

My immediate answer was, “You have to be compelling.”

I continued for a few minutes to describe that when you are behind something that you believe in and you’ve done your homework on the topic, it is easy to be compelling.

You believe it, you trust it, and it shows.

Fundamental Habits

This is a fundamental principle, at least for me. I believe this ignites a compelling message. When you memorize a response (different from homework) or strategize in advance for the perfect response, it sounds as it is, rehearsed.

As the years go by in my career, I’ve developed a deeper appreciation for authenticity.

What about you? Are you doing the heart work?

-DEG

Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSPTM), and culture expert. He is a five-time author and the founder of Appreciative Strategies, LLC. His business focuses on positive human performance improvement solutions through Appreciative Strategies®. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.


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being honest

Being Honest with Workplace Honesty

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Ask people if they trust their gut, and most will tell you that they do. Ask people if they are being honest and you’ll likely get an affirmative answer. How does anyone really know for sure?

We are built to perceive and judge. We assess our environment, we listen, we watch. Call it evolution or call it whatever you like, we observe our environment for risk.

We can talk about integrity, trust, or ethics. Much of it comes down to our perception.

Do You Hear What I Hear?

If we listen closely, we hear it all the time:

I’m going to be completely honest…

Being completely honest…

To be honest…

Honestly, I …

I’m not going to lie…

Yet people are choosing to believe or not. They choose to follow and trust their gut.

Their gut or instincts are based on factors of observation.

Is Seeing Believing?

Did they stutter? Are they acting nervous? Was there eye contact? Did their skin tone change? Are they sweating? What was the hand, feet, or body movement?

Not surprising, liars often have similar behaviors to the person who is telling the truth. Both liars and truth tellers may worry about your belief in their communication.

It can be suggested that liars have bad intentions and truthful people have good intentions. We can’t forget the evaluations of the reasoning for honesty.

“Are you planning a party for my birthday?”

“Who ate the last piece of chocolate cake?”

“Who is cooking fish in the microwave?”

Being Honest

We know the difference between truth and lies. We shouldn’t feel guilty or nervous when telling the truth, but we often do.

It is painful to think that we must be better about the way we communicate when we are being honest. It is an unfortunate evolutionary problem. The result of people scanning their environment to assess risk.

We are human. Most of us are not mind minders, fortune tellers, or meteorologists.

Be careful with your gut.

-DEG

Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSPTM), and culture expert. He is a five-time author and the founder of Appreciative Strategies, LLC. His business focuses on positive human performance improvement solutions through Appreciative Strategies®. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.

Dennis Gilbert on Google+


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3 Leadership Traits For Every Generation

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If you believe great leaders are made, and not born, then you probably would also quickly agree that leadership is about choice. Choice would include a decision to constantly hone and develop your knowledge, skills, and abilities to demonstrate a greater leadership presence. While there are many skills that exemplify leadership and while in practice a very broad skillset may be necessary to tackle the demands of being a high performing leader, there are at least three that are universal for any leader of any workplace generation.

Visionary employee thinking of development

Integrity. People who are serious about high performance know that a lack of integrity at any level can quickly derail success. Like ethics some definitions of integrity may be subjective, but individuals who fail to connect with a like mindset for integrity will be less likely to engage and stay committed to future efforts.

Honesty. Can you trust someone who is dishonest? Trust is the lifeblood of any organized effort. Fear may sometimes (inappropriately) temporarily overcome all obstacles but most group efforts will fall short of expectations when there is a lack of trust. Often the root cause of mistrust can be directly linked to dishonesty.

Communication. You cannot lead without effective communication. Keep in mind that even the most effective communicator will face difficulty if they do not have integrity and they are dishonest. Remember that communication is not always the spoken or written word; it is sometimes gestures, actions, or even attitude that makes a statement.

Regardless of the workplace generation you represent or the breadth of generations you may be responsible to lead, having a solid skillset and constantly honing your craft as a leader will be critical for continued success.

Make the right choice. Decide to lead.

– DEG

Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker, and coach that specializes in helping businesses and individuals accelerate their leadership, their team, and their success. He is the author of the newly released book, Forgotten Respect, Navigating A Multigenerational Workforce. Reach him through his website at DennisEGilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.


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