Passage1

 If you are going to be a straight talker, you have to believe that it’s a virtue.

If you have an opinion and you just state it, it allows the other person to either try to change your opinion, or to agree with you. If you are quiet, people think you agree. How can you then further the conversation when you have different opinions and they are not really exposed Agreeing is easy. Disagreeing takes more guts.

 Several years back, when I was CEO at a company, there was a very senior woman who was very smart and well spoken, but she did not wear appropriate clothes. It was distracting and she was not being taken seriously. I said to her manager, who was male, “You need to tell her.” He said, “Oh, no way.”

So I called her in and directly stated what I thought was happening. I told her, “You’re not getting the respect you deserve.” I said, “Go to the store and get a personal shopper. Just say, ‘I’m a senior businessperson and need help dressing appropriately’”. She came back, and she was completely a different person. She said she felt really good. And her promotion went way up.

Early in my business career, if people asked me a question, I’d try to answer it honestly. And that was rewarded. I had managers who wanted me around because I would actually tell them what was happening.

I was raised by my grandma, and she was a pretty straight talker because she thought you could handle it. My advice is to be realistic. Being honest and truthful is part of being a good person.

According to the writer, talking in a straight allows one to _____.