Dr Paul Allen

Piero della Francesca: Legend of the True Cross - the Queen of Sheba Meeting with Solomon , Detail. (c. 1452-66, Fresco, San Francesco, Arezzo, Italy) (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) "Sorrow is better than laughter : for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better." ( Ecclesiastes 7:3 ) People like to be made to laugh, and many professional comics make a good living telling jokes and doing slapstick comedy. Even in the realm of Christian ministry , those preachers and teachers who can keep their audiences laughing are often the most popular, especially among young people. No doubt humor has a place, but it does need to be kept in perspective. King Solomon had everything and tried everything, including activities promoting laughter and merriment, and was soon disillusioned. "I said in mine heart, . . . I will prove thee with mirth, therefore enjoy pleasure: and, behold, this also is vanity. I said of laughter, It is mad: and of mirth: What doeth it?"

Most leaders periodically talk to their teams about how they value honesty and why they want more of it. This talk on honesty has become one of the classical management talks in the business world. However, judging by their behavior, I have noticed that very few of these leaders actually encourage honesty. And I’m confident this doesn’t apply just for the leaders I know. It’s very easy to state that you want honesty from people; it’s much harder to create a culture that actually fosters it. With this is mind, I offer this four-step guide to encouraging honesty in your team. Lead by example . If you want to receive honest input, start by giving it. As the people on your team observe your honesty, this will make them feel more comfortable being honest themselves. On the other hand, if you don’t practice what you preach, it’s much tougher to influence others to practice that same thing. Where I find that most leaders have the biggest problem related to honesty, is in saying those t