It's December and there is a light snow on the ground. Lucky barks on a fresh rabbit track and the rest of the beagle pack harks in to her because they know she is honest. Lucky has become the leader. She isn't the oldest nor is she the alpha dog (boss). What does it mean for a beagle to be "honest?"

When Lucky barks, the others know she has really scented a rabbit. They know she is on the trail. From experience hunting with her, they know she isn't just crying wolf, or barking for the fun of it. She's "honestly" leading them in the right direction and they trust her.

If the scent trail leads the group astray, Lucky will listen to the other dogs, to see if one of them has found it again.

Leaders in business can learn several lessons from this rabbit-hunting beagle story.

• Being honest when you are leading is worth a great deal.

• Leaders are not always assigned or appointed; sometimes they just surface because of their experience on a past project and the fact that they are trustworthy—honest.

• Honest leaders listen to their team members.

The team members of such a leader know from experience that he or she will not intentionally steer them in the wrong direction. A good supervisor or manager knows to step back when such a leader surfaces on a team.

Honesty does not just mean that the leader won't lie to you and will always tell the truth. Honesty in a leader also means that the person will never intentionally lead you in the wrong direction. There are no guarantees that this leader has all the answers, but if you work with this leader you have a better chance of success. This is why a successful team may have a different leader at different times or for different projects.

Honest leaders also listen to their team members. The honest leader knows that he or she cannot succeed alone, and will rely on team members' ideas and suggestions. If things are not going as hoped for or expected, the leader will seek direction from others. With this kind of honesty in a leader, the team members feel comfortable taking risks and making suggestions without feeling their ideas will be ridiculed.

A team with an honest leader creates its own successes, and increases the trust for the next project or task it has to tackle. It creates a positive loop of positive feedback—honesty is valuable for the team's success and learning, and it creates more value for future tasks.

Honesty in a leader can have many other positive effects in an organization; for example:
• People tend to feel more loyal to an honest leader.
• Employees become and stay more engaged in their work.
• Loyalty and engagement not only make employees more satisfied with their work, but make them more productive for the company or organization.

It is a simple thing in rabbit hunting, but beagle or basset owners understand it better than many in the business world. There is much we can learn from these wonderful hounds.

I would like to thank Steve, Kevin, Bob, Rod and Teddy, at the Great Lakes Basset Club (GLBC) field trial this past fall where the idea for this Viewpoint originated. Although we own five beagles, we host the GLBC field trials at our farm in Charlotte each fall and spring.

		Adrian Bass is a quality consultant and lifelong learner, who believes that learning is a prerequisite for quality improvement.