ANALYTICAL WRITING

HONESTY OR EFFICIENCY?

Literature defines efficiency as the extent to which time is well used for the intended task
while honesty is honor, decency, propriety. We all have heard a common proverb that honesty is
the best policy. We have always been taught this and also that to lie is a bad thing to do. There is
a certain beauty in living life with honesty. While the benefits of and motivations for choosing
honesty in life are many including that truthfulness and honesty are integral to one’s sense of
moral integrity: living a life of honesty ultimately means having little to regret. Living with
honesty is less about persistently resorting to truth over deception, and is more about living your
life in a way that is “honest” to who you are on the inside, your strengths, your gifts, and your
passions, as well as your beliefs and morals.

Efficiency on the other hand is operational effectiveness in execution of tasks by any

individual. In contemporary application to civil servants, the government pays the officers to
perform, to deliver and to be useful to public. It is a different matter that, on account of the
emerging sociopolitical environment, this performance is not always expected to be in public
good. An argument contrary to discussion above is that honesty alone cannot be an alternative to
effective and efficient working. Whatever be the situation, honesty alone may not serve the
desired purpose of living a peaceful life or surpassing career ambitions. Additional traits of being
useful, purposeful and target-oriented with an emotional intelligence is also required achieve
highest echelons of professional life.

Honest officers fall into a variety of types. There are those who are trustworthy, effective,
and unyielding. Then there are those who are reliable, honest, and effective. Honest people who
believe that everything around them is crumbling fall into these groups as well. The
responsibility of purging the system is then assigned to them. They succumb to their inner
"crusader," and the media attention just fuels the flames. Those who are perceived as dishonest
by such honest police are the target of a campaign. Such officials fail to remember that they are
compensated for their performance as well as their integrity. They assess their own performance
based on the disciplinary actions they have brought against others, the number of people or
institutions they have revealed (becoming a classic whistle-blower who brings "name" and
"fame"), the number of FIRs they have filed, and the number of people or institutions they have
exposed. In the end, such hasty actions don't even help these officers achieve their stated purpose
of purging society because little effort is made to develop strategies that might lessen, if not
completely eradicate, corrupt activities.

As was previously said, a public worker is required to perform since they are the main
tool to perform for the state. This admirable cause suffers greatly as a result of the "honest-only
officers." Everywhere and in every file, he or she smells rats. As a result, nothing is provided,
and even if it is, it will be too late to have the desired effect. A "paralyses of analyses" exists.
Since he/she lives an honourable life as an honest cop and is revered by many as a warrior
against the dishonest, honesty benefits him/her. However, by taking a "honesty-alone" stance,
he/she would have done very little to foster initiative or inspire others with whom they were
collaborating to deliver. Such officers do not have much to write home about their own
performance except proudly displaying the trophies of the victims of their crusade.

A government servant, especially one in the higher echelons, must develop as a leader
and build leadership traits that inspire respect rather than awe or terror in order to accomplish.
Leading by example, maintaining concentration, impartiality, consistency, empathy, devotion to
the duties and a relentless drive to perform are ways to do this. These are all vital values that
don't always have to be sacrificed in the fight against dishonesty. The virtues must be used to the
development of improved systems and the motivation of coworkers. Thankfully, there are many
honest and effective government officials out there. They might not be as noticeable as those
who are fighting "dishonest" people tooth and nail. The real "doers" are them. They are dedicated
to the cause for which they are paid from the public coffers and are loyal and effective servants
of the nation. They are professionally carrying out their duties. Their honesty driven paranoia
spirit is directed towards the tasks assigned to them. However, unfortunately, there are an equal
numbers of officers in our institutions who stop at just being honest and forget what they were
supposed to do as honest, integrity-full and responsible citizens paid out of tax payer’s money.
So, long story short is that honesty alone is as bad as dishonesty. The balanced mix of emotional
intelligence integrated in honesty, responsibility and sense of effective service delivery is the
way through which a society can excel.