Do you recognize this scenario?
You finish a project status call with a business partner or service provider and turn to your colleague and say something like “what do you think they meant when they said that?”, or worse still, “I wish they’d told us that last week!”. If you do recognize this, the chances are high that you’re not dealing with a company that has “straight-up” as one of it’s core values.
When we say “straight-up” what do we mean? It’s simple, being “straight-up” just means being open, honest, or candid, i.e. being a person who tells you exactly how things really are. We all know somebody like that and we value them for their ability to cut through the noise to the important stuff.
In business, when you are looking for a company to partner with or buy from, you should always seek out companies that have a “straight-up” approach ingrained in every level of their organization. This quality is extremely important in business relationships. Knowing where you really stand means that each party can focus on the desired outcome, rather than waste valuable time and energy second-guessing every communication for its real meaning. Even more importantly, it speaks to the underlying ethics of the partner company: they value open and honest communication, over and above any short-term gain that may be achieved by obfuscating the truth.
Jack Welch, the business leader and former CEO of GE, puts this well – “A lack of truthfulness – or candor – can destroy any business. Lack of candor blocks smart ideas, fast action, and good people contributing all the stuff they’ve got. It’s a killer”. He goes on to say “When you have candor, everything just operates faster and better”.
So, ask yourself. Do my partners and service providers practice a “straight-up” approach? If you have experiences that suggest they don’t, contact us. We’ll be happy to talk to you about how we work.
