A Lie Will Hurt You if You Leave It Alone
January 6, 2008 by Eric Eggertson
Filed under Marketing
Lying is a lot like getting drunk.
It may feel exhilerating while you’re doing it, but eventually you’re going to look like an ass, and someone has to clean up the mess.
Yet, with surprising regularity, we see examples of people who think they can get away with small or large deceptions. Bravado is like that. It feeds on the adrenaline rush of a bald-faced lie.
There really is no easy way out when you’re caught in a lie. An abject apology or an enraged defence seem to be the obvious choices for dealing with it.
Some people get their publicists to plead “exhaustion,” “an oversight,” or “a momentary lapse in judgement.” For the aggressive types, “I was misquoted” is the most popular, followed by “my statement was taken out of context.”
My only advice is to not wait until someone catches you out. As soon as you realize you didn’t tell the truth, make a clarifying statement. If you feel the need, explain why you “misspoke,” but don’t leave a lie hanging. It will come back and hang you.
By making the first move, you spoil the glee for journalists and competitors to crow about catching you red-handed in a lie.
I lied. I have a second piece of advice: Don’t lie.
Illustration courtesy Hugh MacLeod of GapingVoid.com.
Tags: business, communication, lying, deceit, mistakes, misquoted, errors, apology, correction, politics
Kinda reminds me of Jonh Kerry and the whole swiftboat affair.
Your cartoon is tells the real story for those of us writing on the web. I can’t stop chuckling.
We are, of course, extending free content AND building our brands. Those of us who pretend (read lie) about the money-making component aren’t fooling anyone and destroying our own credibility in the process.
What concerns me is how the lies of the few affect the credibility of the rest of us.
This is so true. A lie is a bad business practice, no matter how you look at it. Integrity is crucial. It’s sad that more people don’t realize this.
Defending against a lie can be equally tricky. It often drags you down into an argument that can’t be won.
Agree – don’t lie. And if you think you have to be economical with the truth due to business reasons, make sure you step up to the plate when you are caught out. Oh, and always assume you will be caught out.
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