subject: Little White Lies [print this page] Author: Rebel Brown Author: Rebel Brown
There's nothing wrong with a little white lie, right?
So we deliver an upbeat message to our team to keep everyone engaged. Why share the reality that the we're in a bigger mess than we want to admit, even to ourselves? It will only make things worse. Or we over-promise our capabilities to win a new customer. We will find a way to satisfy their needs, and they'll just love us when they get to know us. Maybe we stretch the truth about ourselves - our experience, our skills. We're sure we can learn on the job and do well - we always have before. Little white lies can lead to great big problems. When we set an expectation - that expectation is taken as a commitment. If we set that expectation with a little white lie - we begin our commitment out of integrity. Sooner or later, the truth comes out. In the worst case, we lose the respect and trust of those we 'mislead'. In a better case, we sneak by with only a minor ripple - we met that customers' needs, even if it did take an extra month or so. But we still lost some of their confidence when the truth emerged. In the best case - no one ever knows about that little white lie. We get by and live to tell another - the next time we don't want to face reality.
White lies quickly become dirty dark secrets. No matter how we rationalize them, white lies are still lies. We can't base our business, or our lives, on untruths. When we start from a faulty foundation, we're setting ourselves up for the fall. Just read the business section and you'll still see examples of that sad, sad truth. The names you see there didn't start out by telling their ultimate whoppers. They began with tiny steps across the line of truth. As part of my New Decade commitments - I'm watching myself for those little white lies. I took a good hard look and realized I was guilty of stepping across that line - and I didn't like it. Not big stuff - just baby steps. But no more. I'm sticking to my truth. And yes, I'm learning to share it more graciously as part of the journey. How about you?About the Author:
In over 20 years as a consultant I've led more than 100 successful client engagements. I help companies grow by creating market strategies, redefining companies and products, launching these same companies and powering successful sales and marketing endeavors. My clients tell me I have a unique ability to understand technology and pinpoint its value - and then deliver a go-to-market strategy that works. They also call me a Spin Doctor.
