Lying has been officially frowned upon at least as far back as Moses, whose tablets famously included a proscription.
Think about it: How many of us have called in sick to work when we weren’t (58 percent more common around major sporting events)?
But whether you are extending an insincere compliment or making an excuse to get out of going to lunch, telling lies is insidious.
Lying is incredibly common in business across the board — the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act was passed because there was so much lying on financial statements by CEOs.
Sad to say, some of the best leaders are fast and loose with the truth. Think of the late Steve Jobs’ and Larry Ellison’s proclivity to proclaim a product was available when it wasn’t.
Although lying occurs at the highest levels, there are consequences … some feel they will never get caught, but they do!
Bernie Madoff, Richard Nixon, Bill Clinton, Elliott Spitzer, Mark Sanford and Arnold Schwarzenegger come to mind.
Some of the top reasons for lying are:
• To close a deal
• To appease customers
• To cover up mistakes and failures
• To cover for another employee
• To explain tardiness and absence
• To deny knowledge and avoid responsibility for a situation
• To keep the peace
While a story repeated often enough can become indistinguishable from the truth, and we are great at self-deception, automated systems can track lies and cover-ups.
Lying can compromise credibility, integrity, trust and damage relationships and reputations. And it can kill careers.
Lying about small things begs the question: What else might you lie about?
When you lie you invariably end up dancing. Therefore, be prepared to put on the dancing shoes because that’s what happens.
Telling the truth may be harder in the beginning, but in the long run it is the right thing.
It also requires less energy, builds character, and means you don’t have to worry about being caught.
It’s much harder to take an ethical stand and insist on honesty.
But your reputation as an ethical person is central to professional success. And word of unreliability and untrustworthiness can travel quickly.
Judith Bowman is the president of her own consulting company.
