Had anyone accuse you of being dishonest? Not a good feeling is it? Often at work, this is something we toss around. Either the accusation or verbalize expectation is that one had better be honest. Of course, we do want honest people….and on the whole, people generally are honest. Or, maybe to say it another way, few people are just openly liars (some are, I know…and some people do lie often). And yet….
We don’t always want honest people. Or maybe what I want to say there is that we don’t always want people to say precisely what is in their mind at the time of a specific question. There are scenarios where its actually best for the work environment when one doesn’t say exactly what is in their mind.
Ed Catmull of Pixar explains this supberly in his book Creativity, Inc.
He writes “on one level, the only way to get a grip on the facts, issues, and nuances we need to solve problems and collaborate effectively is by communicating fully and openly, by not withholding or misleading….But as valuable as the information is that comes from honesty and as loudly as we proclaim its importance, our own fears and instincts for self-preservation often cause us to hold back.”
To solve this problem, Catmull introduces how Pixar has turned this problem by focusing on Candor instead of honesty. He writes “Candor is forthrightness or frankness—not so different from honesty, really.” But the word isn’t ladened with the moral baggage like the word “honesty.” What he means is that with candor, we can admit at times to NOT being candid and yet not then need to feel guilty. In fact, we realize there are levels of candor and there are legitimate reasons to not be candid. So, when Pixar has some of their critical meetings to critique a movie in development, when asked to be candid, “people…feel freer when asked for their candor…and thus, when they do give it, it tends to be genuine.”
This real forthrightness that is genuine is “the most essential element” of why Pixar’s work has been strengthened through collaboration. As Catmull puts it, “without the critical ingredient that is candor, there can be no trust. And without trust, creative collaboration is not possible.”
Since I have long valued this idea of speaking one’s mind, though I include the Bible’s admonition to “speak the truth in love,” I sure appreciated Catmull’s writings. I’ve worked in places, and I think some could accuse Valencia of being one of these places, where there was NOT candor. Or, if there was, it was either beaten down through intimidation or it was simply ignored. The bosses didn’t want to hear candid feedback and would just act as if nothing was said. The best places I have worked, though, encourage open and candid feedback. Or, to say it another way, the best places never walk around on eggshells when the boss or supervisor comes around.
It has to be cultivated. And when people are appropriately candid, they must be protected by the system and by those in power. Again, it’s not an invitation to say harsh or hateful things, words designed to destroy. Catmull again: “Candor isn’t cruel. It does not destroy. On the contrary, any successful feedback system is built on empathy, on the idea that we are all in this together, that we understand your pain because we’ve experienced it ourselves.” Yes! That’s it!
Want to improve your work place? Your home? Try to bring in candor. Be that person who speaks openly, with genuine concern for the overall success of the work. “Believe me, you don’t want to be at a company where there is more candor in the hallways than in the rooms where fundamental ideas or matters of policy are being hashed out. The best inoculation against this fate? Seek out people who are willing to level with you, and when you find them, hold them close.”