Online With The Professional Image
A bi-monthly newsletter on building professional presence

Lying in Business 

There has never been a more important time for companies to be trustworthy. Lying and withholding of information is currently bringing down three major organizations, with some indication that others will follow. From the Catholic Church to Enron and Arthur Andersen, clouded memories and false statements have quickly eroded once powerful institutions.

The psychology of lying is complex, because people lie for a variety of reasons. It is also complex because chances are, everyone has told one of the following four lies, to different people for different reasons.

I. Some people lie to avoid conflict. Faced with unrealistic deadlines and a demanding boss, some individuals would rather lie than address a difficult issue where anger, frustration, and disapproval will create conflict.

II. Some people lie to save face and please people. They figure that lying at the moment will allow them to look better, at least temporarily. The problem is that it generally takes 4 lies to cover up the first one.

III. Some people lie to sell more. They are evasive, slick, and view business relationships as short-term.

IV. The worst lies are those where the person has intentionally withheld significant information or changed the facts. With practice, this form of lying looks very much like the truth. We know that the more someone lies, the better they become at it. Many of the normal indicators of truthfulness just aren't there anymore with an adept liar.

When you want the truth, here are some strategies to get the most honest information.

• On a case-by-case basis, consider the best vehicle for getting at the truth. If you are dealing with sensitive, personal information, sometimes you will get the most honest information over the telephone because it is less embarassing to disclose when someone is in their own surrounding, ie. their home, on their deck, sitting in their car.
  
• If the information is strictly business related and you are concerned about getting to the bottom of something, don't ask for information over the phone. Do it in person. It is harder to fabricate information and pull it off in a face-to-face encounter.
  
• Look for non-verbal indicators. A generally truthful person will be able to make sustained eye contact and not show signs of stress through nervous hand and body movements.
  
• If someone is lying, that person generally can't make comfortable eye contact. Their eyes will show evasiveness, a flicker of fear. They will generally show some compulsive hand movements that are not part of their normal behavior. It will be difficult for them to be at ease in their surroundings.

The best cultures are those that foster high trust and low fear. They don't shoot the messengers, they don't avoid asking the tough questions and they provide an environment where truthfulness is more important than acquiescence and false harmony. High trust and low fear optimizes human potential and leads to happy employees, satisfied customers and a healthy bottom-line.