Establishing a Reputation of Trust: The Power of Honest Communication

Earlier this week, I was finishing a daunting task. I was responding to peer review feedback for an upcoming research article my colleagues and I have in the pipeline. Although this was not my first rodeo, the feedback we received was detailed and required a significant effort to respond to and revise the manuscript effectively. 

Don’t get me wrong. I am pleased with the feedback we received and I truly believe that it enhanced the quality of our work. The reason I found this task to be daunting was due to the level of detail the industrious peer reviewers provided us with. While this task was challenging, it reaffirmed a crucial belief of mine about honest communication: Honesty is the best policy.

This is especially true in professional settings, although this policy is definitely NOT limited to professional settings! By being upfront and honest, you cultivate a reputation of trustworthiness, despite hiccups along the way. 

The Challenge of Detailed Feedback

Receiving detailed peer review feedback can be both a blessing and a curse. On one hand, constructive criticism significantly enhances the quality of academic work. In fact, the peer review process is the cornerstone of advancing scientific knowledge. On the other, the sheer volume and specificity of the feedback can make the revision process overwhelming. This time, I received feedback that required intricate adjustments and thoughtful responses. 

To manage this, I devised an ambitious plan with an optimistic self-imposed deadline, leveraging Parkinson’s law to my advantage. In short, Parkinson’s law states that work expands to fill the time available for its completion, and its inverse thus suggests that work can also condense to fit the time allotted.

I recently blogged about how I leverage Parkinson’s law to my advantage. If you missed it, you can catch up on my take on Parkinson’s law here. 

Setting Ambitious Deadlines

Last Friday, I had the chance to practice what I preached. I received an email saying that peer review feedback had arrived. I told my supervisor I’d have it done by the end of the day on Monday. Here’s the kicker: I was scheduled to work a 10-hour shift on Friday and 12-hour shifts on both Saturday and Sunday. 

In other words, I planned to do approximately 18 hours of academic work on top of my already packed weekend work schedule. This was a very ambitious goal! 

The Importance of Honest Communication

Come Monday evening, I had finished about 75% of the work and had to postpone the rest until Tuesday. While this could be seen as a failure on my part, the core lesson was yet to unfold. 

Although it was clear that I would not meet my self-imposed deadline, here’s where honesty played a crucial role. Instead of quietly finishing the work on Tuesday and sending it to my supervisor, I decided to be upfront about the delay. I sent him an update about the progress of revising the manuscript and informed him that I would have it done the next day. 

This decision was based on a deep-seated belief in maintaining trust and transparency in professional relationships. By being honest about my progress and the slight delay, I ensured that my supervisor was kept in the loop, fostering a sense of reliability and openness.

Key Takeaway

Whether I finished the task on Monday or Tuesday is beside the point. The key takeaway is the value of honest communication in professional settings. By being upfront, even when you don’t meet your set deadlines or goals, you cultivate a reputation of trustworthiness. This experience reaffirmed my belief that honesty truly is the best policy. 

In professional environments, transparent communication not only helps in building trust but also ensures that everyone is aligned and informed, ultimately leading to better collaboration and success.

I want to end this post with a quote about the importance of guarding one’s reputation from Robert Greene: 

“Do not leave your reputation to chance or gossip; it is your life’s artwork, and you must craft it, hone it, and display it with the care of an artist.“

― Robert Greene, The 48 Laws of Power