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Although it can be daunting to speak up, anyone can challenge the status quo. But unfortunately, even when we know something should be different, we don’t always dare to take action. And when we do, we risk our ideas falling on deaf ears or being overruled or ignored.

Almost anyone can muster enough gumption for a short burst of high-energy effort. But what about after that initial burst?
Do you still feel the same a few months or even a year into your new job, goal, or project? Have you abandoned your ambitions? Or do you wildly vacillate between hyper-productivity and getting nothing done? The key to success at work and in life is starting strong and staying strong.

Now, if you’re trying to ensure a fair work environment, consider carefully if you’re trying to please everyone – or simply make good decisions that are free from discrimination and dishonesty. If you follow a fair process, then once you have made a decision you can move forward with confidence. You’ve made the right decision.

Honesty encourages personal responsibility and accountability for actions and outcomes. Mistakes are acknowledged and goals set for improving future performance. Creative problem solving is facilitated when everyone comes to the table with a desire to find solutions instead of pointing fingers and assigning blame.

In the business world, there are many pathways from the drudgery of the worker-bees to the top floor. For example, winning a highly publicized court case, finding a medical cure, or obtaining a patent on a new energy-saving process comes with financial success, notoriety, and a big jump up the corporate ladder. Regardless of the pathways to success, many find themselves “walking around dead in my shoes” (Williams).

Some people see everything in black and white, right and wrong, good and evil. Others see an ocean of gray with nothing ever firmly planted on one side or the other. Unfortunately, what is seen as gray are our ethical choices.

If you want to develop and maintain long-term business relationships, honor will probably need to be central to how you operate. In business, how people judge your character is critical to sustainable success because it is the basis of trust and credibility.

When you lack words, you shut down new insights and lines of reasoning. People who possess a limited vocabulary have a much tougher time breaking out from old patterns of thought or questioning. By the same token, each new word you learn opens a new avenue of thought, empowering you to think or take action in ways you could never have before.

“A multiplier is someone who uses his or her intelligence to amplify and bring out the smarts and capability of those around them.” Everybody around you is better because of you.

At every stage of business growth, trust is an indispensable asset to the company. While it’s great to have a general sense of trust in the office, here are some of the most critical business areas where building trust can make the most significant functional impact.