If you are going to be a straight talker, you have to believe that it's a virtue, and that it's a quality you want to have. If you have an opinion and you just state it, it allows the other person to either try to challenge your opinion,to agree with you, or to disagree—they have action they can take. If you are quiet, people think you agree. How can you then further the conversation when you are at different points and it's not really exposed? Agreeing is easy. Disagreeing （takes more guts）. Several years back, when I was the 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,"You're not getting the respect you deserve." I said,"Go to the store and get a personal shopper. Just say,'I am a senior businessperson and need help in dressing formally.'" She came back, and she was completely a different person. She said she felt really good. And currency 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 friend, a good associate,and a good leader.