Since the time immemorial the saying Honesty is the best policy has been ringing in our ears time and again. Initially we used to wonder what this saying was all about. But, as we grew up we realised the true meaning and the importance of this phrase. The meaning is really simple but the importance of it is far more valuable. Being honest in every walk of life will only be beneficial for us. Transparency in the work we do will speak volumes about our character and the way we conduct ourselves.

Being honest is a sign of great leadership. Employees look up to their leaders. Leaders should not conceal any information and should be really honest about what is happening in the company, the good, the bad and the ugly. In doing so the leader would be really appreciated by their colleagues and employees who would help the leader to get more support from the employees at any given point of time. An honest leader inspires people to be honest to themselves, they gain immense respect from the people they work with and people are always loyal to such an honest leader.

Honesty helps in building Trust fast. When a person is honest, you become confident that the person is trustworthy. You don’t have to worry about hidden agendas when you know they are telling the truth. Being dishonest destroys the organization like in the case of an India IT Major where the chairman of the company admitted to the manipulation of the accounts. People were shocked on the revelation. Within days the stock which was getting traded at around Rs 500 came down to a meagrely Rs 11 and eventually the company was auctioned off and the amount of shareholder wealth that was destroyed was incalculable.. This was the repercussion of breaking the trust of the people who invested in the company. Once the trust is broken it is almost impossible to repair the same.

In any given situation if you ask anyone who would they like to go with, a person who is successful but dishonest or a person who is not that successful but is honest to the core. Almost everyone one will choose the person who is honest. Being honest increases your credibility, everyone finds the person more reliable than others. Credibility is another sign of a good leader. Employees will not support a leader whom they don’t believe in irrespective of the fact that the leader is highly intelligent, educated, experienced and a very smart person. Being honest sets an example before them and the employees follow suit.

It is easier to remember things when you are honest and when there is nothing to hide. Usually when people lie they make up stories in order to camouflage the truth and in order to hide one truth, a hundredlies follow it. It is rightly said that you can run with a lie but you cannot hide the truth, because it would eventually catch up with you and end up destroying your life.

‘No legacy is so rich as honesty’ are the famous words by William Shakespeare. It is better if people remember you as a person who is honest rather than a person whose credibility is questionable. It is better that people hate you for telling the truth rather than love you because of the beautiful lies you told them.