The diplomat always sees the end from the beginning… Jabez Gabe
Honesty is a virtue you cannot do without if you must succeed in your business. You owe that virtue to everyone. However, when it involves giving out sensitive information, you have to put loyalty ahead of anything else. Therefore you must learn to keep your truth to yourself when it becomes necessary. There are times to openly share information and there are times you have to withhold it, whether it is from your customers, competitors, or fellow workers. Knowing the time to do so is an art called diplomacy. You should never forget that one of the major reasons for business is to make profit, thus revealing information that will make you lose money or patronage should be avoided. If you must yield to giving out information do so diplomatically.
Being diplomatic is a virtue in itself as well as an art. It is an attitude that distinguishes one person from another, a business venture from another. Diplomacy should never be equated with dishonesty, because it is not. Dishonesty or lying comes as a result of trying to provide cover for inability, inefficiency or an inappropriate behavior. Diplomacy comes as a result of providing confidentiality and screening off access to unauthorized personnel (most especially when such personnel have power or authority on his side and seeks to cajole you to release such confidential information). Hence, diplomacy is a highly valued virtue that should be cultivated by anyone intending to succeed in business.
While prevailing circumstances may warrant opening up the books of confidentiality, let diplomatic tendencies be part of your personality as well as part of the principles you obey. Always remember, loyalty is the very core of diplomacy, therefore always be loyal to yourself and to anything you represent.
