Be Clear and Truthful

The Basic Idea: Talk, write and think with clarity. And always tell the truth.

Explanation: As the parent of three, I’ve observed a trend: no teenager wants to write a second draft, but none figure out what they really want to say until – at least – the end of the first draft.

The same goes for me.

When I was young, I could get pretty good grades on my first draft. Today, I make three to five passes through everything that I write. This includes my ghostwriting assignments as well as my own works. In some cases, my final piece bears no resemblance to my first draft, but when this happens, I am thrilled, because the ideas contained in the final piece soundly beat my original thoughts.

Be clear about what you believe, and about what you are doing. If you want to be a CEO, tell everyone. If you have an ethical problem with your current situation – admit it, and fix it. When you write, write clearly. When you speak, speak clearly. Even if it takes a long time to choose precisely the right words.

And when it comes to truth, I believe there is no gray area. You are either honest or you aren’t. People who do the right thing… do it even when no one is looking.

Most of us have experienced some variation of the theme when either you or your child got a bad grade at school and failed to mention it. When this became obvious and the word “lie” was mentioned, the student protests that he just forgot, and that’s not lying.

I disagree.

If being a decent human being with true purpose is important to you, be that person every day for the rest of your life.

That is the path to true influence.

Example: Here’s my former partner, Don Peppers, explaining how our standards for being trustworthy are rising, both for individuals as well as organizations. The video is a bit old, but the lessons are timeless.