We’re drowning in lies! We see and hear it all day every day. Politicians lie to us nearly every time they speak. Governments, at all levels, lie to us routinely. Media outlets, when not publishing outright falsehoods, are distorting or bending the truth to fit some agenda. We tell “white” lies to family members so as not to hurt their feelings. It’s almost to the point that when we experience someone telling the truth, we regard it as remarkable.
As you’re reading this, I know your thought response is — SO, what else is new? We know they’re lying, and we discount everything they tell us. Given where we are in this lie-laced culture, that may be an appropriate defense mechanism. But, at what cost? Lying destroys trust. Relationships live on trust. Unwittingly, our lackadaisical attitude about the culture of deceit in which we currently live, is slowly eroding the foundations of our relationships.
Civilized society cannot exist without relationships. Relationships underpin the daily activities of our life. We have relationships with our families, wherever we work, and with our government, just to name a few. The loss of trust in these relationships neuters the possibility of any effective leadership. Let’s just examine one set of relationships, the organizations in which we work.
Lying is an insidious poison to any organizational culture. Lying corrupts decision-making, and it promotes a perverse Darwinian culture where the fittest liar survives. Lying organizations seldom succeed. I’ve seen these effects firsthand. As an auditor, employee, executive, and consultant, I’ve worked in and observed hundreds of organizations and their respective cultures.
Organizations that tolerate lying under perform those that don’t. I’ve seen some organizations where lying was considered a high art form, and people were praised for creatively deceitful skills. Every one of those organizations eventually failed, some in spectacular public implosions. Why is this important?
It’s simple, lying steals freedom. I’ve made this point before in many venues, and I emphasize it again because most people don’t understand this aspect of lying. Lying steals your freedom to choose right actions. Let’s stop relinquishing our freedom within any relationship containing deceit.
So, stop lying! Creating an ethically intelligent organization begins at the same place that awakening an ethically intelligent human life begins—telling the truth. Truth-telling is the essential foundation for not only creating an ethically intelligent organization but any organization that effectively fulfills its purpose. It starts with you and me. Vow to begin telling the truth today and demand the truth from others.
