Ten Easy Ways You Might Discourage the Truth

While reading Fisher, Frey, & Pumpian's How to Create a Culture of Achievement, a quote jumped off of the page at me and led me to reflect on different things I've witnessed, experienced, heard about, and/or done, and the effects it had on people.

"If people think that there are consequences to their honesty, they will no longer be honest and you will be faced with making decisions and taking action on inaccurate data." -p.68

If you cannot be trusted with the truth, then you will at one inevitable point be in the precarious position of trying to fix a problem, answer a question, or exist in a situation with incomplete, exaggerated, or fictitious information or data. Effective leaders (or anybody who interacts with people casually or professionally) must be aware of the potential truth barriers their actions or words may inadvertently create. I wrote down ten things in no particular order that you may do or oversee that probably discourages or at some point will discourage honesty and openness from the people you work and interact with.

1. Your organization has a spoils system culture with favorites; there are haves and have nots
2. You're hotheaded; you're reactionary
3. You're vindictive or judgmental
4. You're someone who only does what they "have to" to fulfill the position
5. You're a "me first" personality
6. You shoot the messenger(s)
7. You have a big mouth; you tell people other people's information
8. You always make it about you and how it makes you look 
9. You don't make an effort to include everyone
10. You don't seem like you care enough to do anything

 I'm most guilty of number eight, and am consciously working on fixing this insecurity. What about you? Are there any on the list that you know you need to be aware of? 

What are the other mistakes we make as people and as leaders that discourage people from telling us the truth? How can we avoid sabotaging ourselves by not promoting an open and honest culture?