Tag Archives: veracity

Random thoughts – keeping you on your toes

Unexpected Consequences

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Speaking with veracity means conforming to the facts and being accurate in your statements.  Telling the truth depends on facts and reality.

Recently the University of Alberta launched a marketing campaign to increase awareness of the institutions broad base of research.  The tag line was truth matters.

Open Minds

The program defined truth as “…….the work of generations. Its pursuit is an arduous and necessary task that requires grit to stick to the evidence even when it seems elusive or challenges older ideas.”

I believe the underlying concept is to accentuate the fact  all research is of value whether we agree with it or not.  Consider the simple case of the shape of the earth.

If researchers had not been persistent in proving the earth to be round, in the face of great opposition and persecution, where would we be today?  (Possibly stuck in isolation lest we fall off the flat earth)

Consequences

Believing and promoting the truth as if it really matters, sadly, has consequences.  These can be greatly exaggerated reactions exacerbated by social media.

Last weekend we experienced an example of this when a top executive of the U of A resigned because a billboard advertisement  within the overall truth matters campaign was misconstrued.

Social media quickly picked up on the topic of the billboard, research that showed benefits of global warming, as supporting global warming. Of course this was ridiculous, the add was simply intended to expose and celebrate research, in and of itself.

For an institutions that promotes truth as something that matters this over reaction really makes it appear that those in charge really believe the opposite, that is truth is less important than perceptions, misconceptions and beliefs.

Sad and scary.

Random thoughts – keeping you on your toes

Compassion and Understanding

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Communicating in accordance with fact or reality, or a fact or belief that is accepted as true by the majority, is said to be speaking (or writing the truth.

The impact of the truth can sometimes be devastating and so the truth is often best tempered by compassion and understanding.  Both inner truths and those you share with others.

Temper the Message

An old but accurate missive says “The truth can hurt”. Truth is a cornerstone of integrity and trust, it should never be used as a weapon of pain.

Speaking the truth with compassion and understanding is simply a way of crafting the message, still with honesty and integrity, in a way that does no harm.

Blackmail

Using the truth to gain advantage over others, financial or otherwise  (i.e., blackmail) , is deplorable.  This is a case of misuse.  Sometimes it is best to hold wise counsel.

Speaking the truth clearly and broadly is not a required action and should be treated as a matter of discretion .  When communicating or sharing information consider the impact.

Blindly proceeding righteously proclaiming it is true so I can disclose it could be hurtful and ultimately lead to poor results.  You may think it can help achieve your goals but it could in fact backfire on you.

Blackmail is a criminal offence after all.

Internalize

Before sharing the truth boldly and bluntly ask yourself “ How would I feel about this message.”. If it makes you sad or uncomfortable, fearful or angry maybe it’s time to use a little compassion and understanding to craft a softer more amenable truth.

Random thoughts – keeping you on your toes

The Right Answer

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Some problems have many possible resolutions.  In these cases, there is often no “right answer”.  A plethora of options exist and each will provide the desired outcome.

The multitude of options often leads to fervent discussion, even argument.  I am often amused when listening as an independent observer, how, ultimately all parties are basically arguing semantics with the conclusion consistently the same.

Who Cares

Human nature, that is the natural instinctual behaviour for most people, dictates that we want to be accepted.  This causes us to care when our solution is not recognized as the best.

Since it is often the case that no solution is necessarily the best this can (and does) lead to non-productive behaviour (usually by all parties to a discussion).

Caring, that is having strong feelings or concerns associated with something translates to being accountable for your own thoughts and actions and is generally a good thing.

In the case where collaboration is the best course of action, ownership can get in the way of achievement. The best course of action can be side-tracked by emotions.

In these situations, it is most helpful if the focus is on the outcomes (what we are trying to achieve) as opposed to an individuals self-worth.

A workable solution

In situations with a number of good options all being elegantly proposed by passionate individuals, I suggest we focus on anything that works and resolves the issue.

Our own personal feelings should be set aside so we may concentrate on achieving a result that benefits everyone.

Random thoughts – keeping you on your toes

Be accountable to yourself

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When others seek evidence that your actions or decisions were well founded they are seeking to assess how effectively you have addressed your accountability.

When we are accountable we often think of it in the context of how others perceive you/ your performance.  In fact, most importantly you are accountable to yourself, then to others.

Judging Accountability

There is a subjective component to the exercise of accountability.  A decision one person thinks is good might be considered disastrous by another.

The most accurate judge of what you are accountable for, that is the opinion that counts the most, should be your own.  The truth is yours to testify to.

This is not to say you should ignore your accountabilities as they relate to others, this can have a significant impact on you.  What others think matters but as you create those perceptions the foundation of success is being true to yourself.

Don’t Fool Yourself to Live

Asking yourself hard questions about what you seek, what you value, how you want to behave, basically defining your own beliefs and accountabilities should be a brutally honest assessment.

Don’t fool yourself into believing things that don’t resonate with you,  but appear appealing.  As you act out your basic values the best results always arise from things you truly believe.

If you believe you own something then most likely you will be passionate about acting accordingly.  Others will see that and respect it.