Honesty, Truth, and Professionalism

Honesty is the mark of a true professional. As a professional software developer my daily routine revolves around honesty in many ways. One of the most obvious examples of this behavior is the way all professional software developers write code.

1.) Write quality and meaningful tests

2.) Let them fail

3.) Write quality code to make your tests pass

4.) Rinse and repeat

When a test fails I don’t get angry or stop writing tests. I appreciate this simple feedback cycle as it keeps me honest the whole way.

So back to the heart of the matter.

Being honest is a natural human approach. I firmly believe that in a random sample of people their response to some stimulus is going to be honest. You experience it everyday; facial expressions, gestures, and their of tone of voice give us an inkling of what someone is really thinking.

So why is it when we walk through the hallowed halls of our current employer or potential employer does this principle change? It shouldn’t. I believe that transparency and honesty is the key to success. All too often I’ve observed people giving half explanations basically side-stepping the truth or being downright fraudulent. How is this acceptable? I’ve heard some call this being tactful. This isn’t tact. There is a huge difference between being diplomatic and considerate versus being dishonest.

Do these sound familiar?

“Put lipstick on the pig”

“Just ship it, we’ll deal with it later”

“Smoke and mirrors”

Each one of these phrases have dishonesty built into them unless it has been communicated clearly to your audience/stakeholders that this is exactly what is happening. If stakeholders decide to “just ship it” or “put lipstick on the pig” they must fully understand the consequences of their decisions if they plan on trading quality for time. Now don’t misinterpret what I am saying, sometimes we need to be quick to market especially when there is an excellent idea at stake. Sometimes you do literally just have to ship it. What I am promoting is that we need to be open with _everyone_ involved about the weakness and compromises made when this path is chosen. We cannot exclude portions of the truth because it is convenient or it gives you some type of buffer.

So why can’t we just have an open and honest conversation? Accept honesty as a breath of fresh air and accept it as the derivative of what makes us a professional, and more importantly what makes us human. Don’t let the fear of backlash overtake and compromise your values. Don’t let the fear of judgment sway you. Sharing the truth naturally pushes us to challenge and question authority (just do it with tact). Honesty naturally promotes forward thinking and progress. What if Columbus never disregarded the belief  that the Earth was flat? What if Galileo never withstood the trials of heresy when he presented proof that the earth revolves around the Sun? What if Tesla never pushed the limits of our understanding of electricity and magnetism? This very moment would not exist as we know it.

Honesty is human, honesty frees us, and the truth saves us time and time again. So the next time someone gives it to you straight don’t take it personally, or let anger get the best of you. Thank them for their honesty, pursue the truth, and return the favor.

Nov 14, 2009 | Rants | Leave A Comment »