How to Value Others – Be Honest

As a leader, one of my most important responsibilities is being a good steward of the resources entrusted to me. While we most often think in terms of financial resources, I would argue that our most valuable assets are the people we lead.

In the last two posts, I talked about two ways to help people feel valued: pay attention to them and give compliments. Here’s tip number three:

#3 Be Honest

How does it feel when someone lies to you?

If you’re like me (and most everybody else), it doesn’t feel too good. Depending on the lie, it might range from annoyance to anger.

Why does lying bother us so much? Would we have a different reaction if it was a “nice lie,” one intended to make us feel better about ourselves? Probably not. In fact, that might even be worse.

Lying bothers us because it communicates this: I don’t care enough about you to tell you the truth.

When we are honest with the people we love, lead, or work around, we are acknowledging their inherent value. Because they matter, we will tell them the truth.

Obviously, we do so in the right way – kindly, with grace, and at the proper time and place.

Dishonestly devalues the other person. It says to them, I either don’t trust you with the truth or believe you are worth the effort.

If you want to help someone feel valuable, be honest with them.