What Is Conspicuously Honest?
Merriam-Webster defines “conspicuous” as “obvious to the eye or mind; attracting attention.” Typically, school business officials don’t like to attract attention unless we are celebrating something great that’s happening in our district.
As SBOs, we should want our honesty to be obvious to our stakeholders; thus, we want to be viewed as conspicuously honest. “Honest” is defined as “free from fraud or deception; legitimate, truthful.”
When you think about your own personal characteristics, is honesty the first word you think of, or the last?
During the past few years, K–12 public education has been under attack in various ways. It’s more important than ever for education leaders, including SBOs, to be viewed as completely honest, free of any deceit.
We must gain the trust of our communities so they view us as credible, whether that credibility relates to finances, academics, or student well-being.
What does conspicuously honest mean to you? How would you apply it in your own world of work? And why does it matter?
Bauer suggests that if we want our honesty to be conspicuous so that it becomes an accepted part of how we are viewed and branded, we should begin by thinking about the specific actions we take to build and maintain trust. Then, we put those actions forward in our conversations, our professional development, and the supervision we provide so that all employees engage in these behaviors with their contacts.
Does such conspicuous honesty really matter? Bauer says: “The simplest test is this: Would you rather deal with a department, agency, or company you trust or one where you either aren’t sure or already know that they can’t be trusted? It’s tough to imagine that the former wouldn’t win every time.”
In All Honesty
When you think about your own personal characteristics, is honesty the first word you think of or the last? If honesty is not the first word, why not? Is honesty an integrally accepted part of how you’re viewed and branded?
School business officials are in a position of public trust, with regard to both the financial aspects of their school district and the overall safety and well-being of the students we serve. Can we honestly say that everything we do is in the best interest of those students? I sure hope so.
If nothing else, we should be viewed as people of honesty and integrity by our students’ parents and our communities. We should be conspicuously honest. As writer Charles H. Brower said, “Honesty is not only the best policy, it is rare enough today to make you pleasantly conspicuous.”