| Acknowledgments | vii |
Part 1 | The Challenge | 1 |
Chapter 1 | The Naked Truth | 3 |
| The Kumbaya Syndrome | 4 |
| It Ain't Easy | 7 |
| Cultures of Integrity | 9 |
| Compelling Brands | 10 |
| Competitive Advantages | 12 |
| Productive Workforces | 13 |
| Consistent Leadership | 16 |
| Positive Morale | 18 |
Chapter 2 | A Culture of Absolute Honesty | 22 |
| What Is Corporate Culture? | 24 |
| Common Behavior Patterns | 25 |
| Organizational Values and Beliefs | 29 |
| Personal Attitudes and Assumptions | 37 |
| Embarking on the Transformation | 40 |
| The Formula for Effective Change | 42 |
| The Transformation Process | 46 |
| The Six Laws of Absolute Honesty | 49 |
Part 2 | The Six Laws of Absolute Honesty | 53 |
Chapter 3 | Absolute Honesty Law #1: Tell the Truth | 55 |
| Tell the Truth: You Create Trust | 56 |
| Tell the Truth: You Do the Right Thing | 57 |
| Tell the Truth: You Discover It's Rarely as Painful as You Think | 58 |
| Tell the Truth: You Pay a Higher Price for Lying | 60 |
| Tell the Truth: You Get It Behind You | 62 |
| Tell the Truth: You Keep Things Simple | 65 |
| Eight Great Fears of Telling the Truth | 66 |
| Fear Kills the Soul | 78 |
| No Excuse for Abuse | 79 |
| Fear No Truth | 80 |
Chapter 4 | Absolute Honesty Law #2: Tackle the Problem | 82 |
Step 1 | Do Your Homework | 83 |
Step 2 | Open the Debate | 90 |
Step 3 | Open Your Ears | 96 |
Step 4 | Open Your Mouth | 100 |
Step 5 | Open Your Mind | 103 |
Step 6 | Close the Deal | 108 |
Chapter 5 | Absolute Honesty Law #3: Disagree and Commit | 111 |
| Speak Up and Disagree | 113 |
| What Leaders Can Do to Encourage Disagreement | 120 |
| Stop Whining and Commit | 127 |
| What Leaders Can Do to Encourage Commitment | 135 |
| Creating a Cultural Norm of Disagree and Commit | 139 |
| The Brutal Facts of Greatness | 141 |
Chapter 6 | Absolute Honesty Law #4: Welcome the Truth | 143 |
| Defensiveness: The Enemy of Honesty | 145 |
| Reasons for Defensiveness | 151 |
| Moving from "Attack and Defend" to "Discuss and Solve" | 165 |
| Minimizing Defensiveness in Others | 168 |
| Removing the Great Wall | 174 |
Chapter 7 | Absolute Honesty Law #5: Reward the Messenger | 176 |
| Blatant Retribution | 178 |
| Intentional but Subtle Retribution | 179 |
| Unintentional Retribution | 181 |
| Disconfirming Messages | 184 |
| Perception Can Be Reality | 189 |
| Sleazy, Wacko, Bizarre Management Practices | 190 |
| Manager's Code of Conduct | 192 |
| Truth on a Napkin | 201 |
Chapter 8 | Absolute Honesty Law #6: Build a Platform of Integrity | 203 |
| Focus on What's Important | 208 |
| It Starts with Leadership | 209 |
| Leadership Obsession = Organizational Infection | 213 |
| Create a Platform of Integrity | 214 |
| Build Your Platform on Ethical Tenets | 217 |
| Noninstrumental Ethics | 219 |
| Why Noninstrumental Ethics? | 220 |
| Establish an Ethical Foundation | 224 |
| Applying the Five Tenets to Up-Selling | 227 |
| No Easy Answers | 228 |
| Create and Stick to a Platform of Integrity | 229 |
| Base Your Platform of Integrity on Solid Ethics | 230 |
| Live by Your Platform of Integrity | 233 |
| Developing the Tenets and the Platform | 235 |
| Ethics and Profitability | 239 |
| Toward an Ethical Culture | 240 |
Part 3 | Where Do We Go from Here? | 243 |
Chapter 9 | Building an Ethical Infrastructure | 245 |
| Leadership | 246 |
| Philosophy | 247 |
| Communication | 248 |
| Training | 249 |
| Rewards and Consequences | 250 |
| Small Businesses Too | 252 |
| Don't Forget Good Judgment | 253 |
| No Guarantee, but ... | 254 |
Chapter 10 | Key Points to Help Your Implementation Efforts | 255 |
| The Naked Truth | 256 |
| A Culture of Absolute Honesty | 258 |
Absolute Honesty Law #1 | Tell the Truth | 262 |
Absolute Honesty Law #2 | Tackle the Problem | 265 |
Absolute Honesty Law #3 | Disagree and Commit | 267 |
Absolute Honesty Law #4 | Welcome the Truth | 270 |
Absolute Honesty Law #5 | Reward the Messenger | 273 |
Absolute Honesty Law #6 | Build a Platform of Integrity | 276 |
| Notes | 279 |
| Index | 287 |