We Interrupt This Program For A Special Bulletin
Everyone should learn from their experience. Every event in one’s life can teach him something for the future. For that purpose, and event need not be a private one. National events are also a great source of lessons for life.
The Israeli elections took place today. Only 63% of Israeli citizens used their right to vote – the lowest voting rate in the history of Israeli politics.
I am not much of a political commentator, but the feeling on the street (and in the various news panels) is that this unprecedented low voting rate is the result of the lack of trust our citizens has in our politicians and in the political system as a whole. Many Israelis feel that no matter how they vote, they cannot trust their “representatives” to really represent their interests.
This event led me into thinking about two personal lessons. The first is that this is not a really good time to go into politics. The second one has a much greater impact on our day-to-day work: dishonesty has a price.
The most obvious price of dishonesty is a personal one: when you are not honest, people will stop following you. It might not happen over night, but at the end of the day you will find it harder to motivate people. Some will continue to do what you expect them to, but they will do it without a flair. When people do their job (of their citizen’s duties) without a flare, the achieve poor results. If your job is to lead people, your success depends on their inner drive. Honesty is the fuel that drives people.
But even more important is the price that the system as a whole pays for mistrust. When the people feel they cannot trust the system, the system breaks. A political system can be damaged when the citizens have no trust in it. Similarly, a business organization can be damaged when its employees have no trust in their (business) leaders.
Whether you lead an organization, a department or a team, remember that the trust of your colleagues and workers is priceless. If you want to motivate them, you have to work with them. If you want them to be part of the system, you have to make them realize that their interest and the interest of the system is one. Honesty is a good place to start.
