Communication at work - is honesty the best policy?

I'm fascinated by the way people choose to communicate. I watch people, try to find out what  they communicate and how, and how effective their way of communicating is. I know the way I communicate is a bit blunt. I guess that's a nice way to put it. I'm the person you don't ask if you're hoping for a specific answer. If someone looks like hell, and that someone asks me how they look, I'm going to say "Like hell". I don't know how I missed the lesson in social fibbing, but I'm just not very skilled in that particular art. Now, I'm quite good at finding lots of ways to say "Wow, that was a really bonehead thing to do!", some that leave the bonehead unsure of whether *he was just insulted or complimented, but I usually feel that the truth is better and much more simple. It's easier to remember I think that red shirt is really ugly than to try to recall if I said I liked it last time I was asked.

At work, there seems to be an unspoken code of interaction that suggests being nice (fake?) is more important than being honest. I've sat in meetings where people are flat out lying about the way something went down, trying to cover their collective asses, trying to save face. Most of us know they're full of it, but we don't call bullshit on someone lest we leave hurt feelings or humiliation in our wake. And when I say "We", I do mean a "we" that rarely includes me. I've been in meetings where I said "WHAT?? That isn't what happened." When someone tried to gloss over an inconsiderate, rude glory grab, I was happy to be the one to say it was a really rotten thing to do and that an apology was in order. I've also put out calls to go over a project that went bad, to see where it could be improved, but I rarely got any response from the "nice" people who feel that being polite is better for business.

I don't think it's better for business. I think when something goes wrong, it's better to admit it. I'm the first person to raise my hand when I screw up. And I sure do raise my hand a lot. I'm not sure how we can find flaws and fix weaknesses if we don't admit to mistakes, analyze what went wrong, and find ways to do better next time. I make a lot of mistakes. We all do. Thankfully most of my mistakes aren't of the make or break sort, and none are life and death. But every mistake made is a chance to do something better next time, and I want people to tell me how to do better. Perfection is such a high standard to live up to, and it's a real energy suck. All for something unattainable. I see no point.

Maybe it's just laziness. Maybe I'm just too lazy to try to remember all of the little white lies and the covers I had to make up to keep people from noticing I'm human. Or maybe I know how much more respect I have for people when they say "Whoops, goofed, sorry". And perhaps I don't care if those people who can't respect me for being human do or don't. I'll hang with the rest of the mere mortals and leave perfection to someone else.