By Kevin Roberts

Humans are a funny lot. We fall in love with a specious idea and don’t notice that our behavior contradicts the ideology. Why? Because humans are self-deceptive.

Here are some examples:

• A determinist (someone who thinks that free will is a myth and fate is 100% in charge) still looks both ways before he crosses the street.
• A political activist condemns an opposition party candidate for behavior that is identical to that of his candidate for office.
• Activists who fight against processes that lead to character development in young people only hire young people with character.

We all have a moral sense but apply it inconsistently to others compared to ourselves. We face choices of right and wrong every day but often forget that it is in nuance and complexity that choices become “good” or “bad”.

As we discuss the character traits needed to be a proficient technician, remember that absolutes are at least rare and perhaps nonexistent.

Honesty

Honesty is not simply speaking the truth. It is a mindset that acknowledges certain principles. Honesty accepts the existence of reality. It might be interesting to converse about if we live in a matrix, but in the end we all just go home and go to bed as though home and bed were real.

Honesty accepts responsibility to conform to reality. Our novels, movies, and TV shows occasionally take place in an environment that is contrary to the one in which we find ourselves. This can be thought provoking as we consider how humans would respond. But sometimes the fictional world is simply portrayed as the author wishes our environment should be and the drama settles into an unpleasant and incredible fantasy.

Honesty values reality above perception. It seeks to be something rather than simply appear to be something. It sees what is there whether looking into a mirror or through a window.

Honesty recognizes the human tendency to substitute perception for reality, especially one’s own. Honesty recognizes the difference between what is objective and what is subjective. These are not simply grammatical terms. They inform the way we view ourselves and the world around us.

When I say, “It’s cold in this room,” I am making a subjective statement about myself.

When I say, “The temperature has gone down by 10 degrees in this room,” I am making an objective statement about the room.

Subjectivity informs what we prefer. Objectivity informs what exists.

Honesty is the starting point for any improvement in your career, your family, or your life. You cannot improve that which you refuse to recognize needs improvement.

“Science is what we have learned about how to keep from fooling ourselves.

To every man is given the key to the gates of heaven. The same key opens the gates of hell.

And so it is with science.”

This interesting quote is not from a religious scholar, but from the Nobel laureate, physicist Richard Feynman. He understood the complexity of human nature, our tendency to believe what we want to believe and therefore convince ourselves that what we want to believe is true.

For example: Technician A makes a mistake. He uses a tool improperly and breaks it. He is now at a fork in the road. Door #1: Put the tool away surreptitiously and hope no one finds out. Door #2: Go immediately to the foreman and own up to it. Think about why the tech might choose Door #1. He does not want to get into trouble for having broken the tool. This is the self-awareness of others’ awareness. If we allow ourselves to overvalue the opinion of others, we may forsake the reality (I broke the tool) for the perception (I don’t want anyone to know) that we try to instill in others. We want them to think certain things about us. I hope you have already arrived at the conclusion of this account. If you really want others to think well of you, ask yourself what you would expect them to do in the same situation and how you would respond. Clearly it doesn’t take a philosophy major to know that you think highly of people who own up to their mistakes. So, if you really want others to think highly of you, admit your mistakes instead of trying to hide them.

This begs the question, if some things in life are this simple, why are people dishonest when it undermines their position among others?

That question has two answers. First, we are not primarily intellectual beings. We are moral beings who are pretty bad at being consistently moral. Second, we have the tendency to sacrifice the long-term on the altar of the short-term.

It is uncomfortable to admit a mistake. This is simply reality. Admitting a mistake can entail immediate risk. Not every boss can graciously appreciate it.

But think about this. There is no way to avoid risk absolutely. You simply substitute one risk for another. In this case you can risk a negative response from the boss, or you can risk being found out trying to deceive the boss.

You can be honest because it is the smart thing to do. Or you can be honest because it is the right thing to do. Just remember that the reason we call certain traits “character” traits is because it is what you do “characteristically”. If you want to develop the habit of doing the smart thing, simply develop the habit of doing the right thing. Having a mental lapse against your common sense occasionally is unavoidable. Having a moral lapse (unrelated to moral drift) that is contrary to your developed character is much less likely to occur because you must consciously step across a moral line.  

Ask yourself, “Who do I want to be, and who do I want to work with?” Notice that the second question will be universally answered with, “Someone honest.” Be that guy.

Related Content

• Why a Good Technician Needs to be a Good Person, Part 2
• Why a Good Technician Needs to be a Good Person, Part 1