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The Honesty Advantage™
Boost Teamwork, Increase Productivity and Generate New Business

Does your organization suffer from any of these symptoms?

• Poor decisions that are based on a fraction of the potential information.
• Problematic contracts and lost customers because expectations are not effectively managed.
• Meetings that are laborious and unproductive.
• People hiding behind email instead of talking with each other.
• Emotionally draining office politics.
• People not sharing their ideas that could make a huge difference.

The Steven Gaffney Company helps individuals and organizations solve these problems to improve teamwork, increase productivity and generate new business. We achieve this through The Honesty Advantage™ - a set of honest communication and persuasion systems and strategies that immediately produce sustainable results.

Why the Honesty Advantage™? Having been "in the trenches" working with thousands of individuals from organizations of every size, for over a decade, we have discovered that the root cause of most problems is a lack of honest communication and the subsequent withholding of information and ideas - costing billions of dollars in lost productivity and revenue.

Honesty is not just about truth and lies. Honesty is about saying what needs to be said and not withholding or avoiding issues. And when people withhold their ideas, it robs organizations of its creativity and innovation, which significantly impacts the bottom line.

Most people are unaware how much not being fully upfront and honest halts teamwork, stunts innovation, wastes millions in productivity and restricts the organization's ability to generate new business. It is toxic to every relationship, at every level, within every organization in ways many of us never realize.

Did you know?

• The average employee loses 7 weeks of productivity every year because of troublesome and unresolved communication issues.
• Lack of open, honest communication is at the root of 80% of problems at work.
• Upwards of 75% of employees who leave their jobs do so because of communication issues with their boss - not money.
• The #1 factor that drives employees to be engaged in their job is their relationship with their boss.

You can't solve a problem or entertain an idea that you don't know about. How often have you said to yourself, "If they had just told me what was bothering them and what they wanted, I could have done something about it?" or "If I just had all the necessary information to do my job, I could have made a better decision in a fraction of the time and done it so much better."

According to a national study, 91% of people lie on a regular basis. And, in reality, the other 9% were probably lying. People are not upfront or withhold the truth to some extent, not because they are malicious, or ethically flawed, (though that can be a problem for some) but primarily because they are afraid - afraid of retribution for being honest: afraid it will permanently damage their relationships; afraid that it will affect their careers.

If we reduce their fear we will increase honest communication - which includes information, thoughts and ideas that can really improve and impact the organization. People want to be upfront and express their ideas - the key is to create an environment to do so.

When people withhold the organization loses because little neglected issues easily escalate into long-term, irreversible problems.

The Solution: Our years of working with thousands of people have uncovered three keys that are essential to getting people to stop withholding, say what needs to be said and get others to say what needs to be said. By instituting these three keys through our specific real-world strategies, we help organizations boost teamwork, increase productivity and generate new business, because no matter how good organizations are, they can always get better.

Key 1. We all need to be aware that people tend to not be open and honest and withhold information and ideas. For example, when we say we are too busy when we really don't want to deal with someone; when we say everything is fine, when things are not because we fear potential backlash if we are upfront. We need to recognize others are doing the same to us.

Many of us don't realize that we often unknowingly encourage others NOT to be honest with us by getting defensive or upset when someone tells us bad news or unpleasant feedback. The Steven Gaffney Company has specific strategies and techniques to help people become aware of how they are encouraging this behavior and what they can do differently to open lines of communication.

Key 2. Leaders need to advocate, demonstrate and reward honesty. We can achieve this through disclosure of difficult news and information, encouraging feedback and positively reacting even when people give us unpleasant news. The Steven Gaffney Company can provide step-by-step systems of how to do this effectively, as well as how to honestly influence others.

Key 3. Employees must be provided with honest communication strategies and skills. Employees must be able to say what needs to be said, no matter how difficult the environment may be. Everyone needs to be aware of the difference between honesty and brutality and how to present information and ideas effectively. The Steven Gaffney Company has specific systems to assist leaders to have those challenging conversations successfully, as well as to help others produce the results we desire.

When employees stop hinting around an issue and instead are upfront and direct as well as share their ideas, issues and problems can be addressed and resolved - people can do their jobs significantly better, and organizations are more innovative, teamwork improves and the revenue goals are achieved.

Are you wondering where to go from here? Call us at 703-241-7796 or email us at honest@stevengaffney.com and we will set-up a complimentary consulting call to see how we can positively impact your organization. Our commitment is to have helped you by the end of the call, whether you choose to work with us or not. We want to help make the difference.

E-mail: christina@stevengaffney.com