The Unfortunate Reality of Lying in Business — And How We Can Deal With It

“Well, the truth is . . .” “Well, if you really want me to tell you the truth . . .” “If I’m being honest . . .” “To tell you the truth . . .” 

How many times have you heard these phrases? Probably too many times to count. It’s a fact of life that people lie. As noted in The Conversation, a survey by the University of Oregon’s David Markowitz found that “on average, people told 1.08 lies per day,” with the “distribution of lies skewed by some frequent liars.” 

Lies aren’t restricted to people’s personal lives, either. Lying, like hypocrisy, happens often in the business world — and sometimes makes headlines. Two famous examples of lying in business are the Enron and Theranos scandals.  

Over the years, I’ve observed many lies being told in business — some bigger than others, some smaller than others, but lies nonetheless. I’ve reached a point where I assume that lies are rampant in business, be it lies of commission, omission or paltering. In light of this reality, what are business owners to do? 

Acknowledge That Dishonesty Exists 

The first step business leaders can take to navigate the unfortunate reality of lying in business? Acknowledging that dishonesty exists. We should recognize that other people can and will lie to us and that we can and will lie to others. It goes both ways. For instance, if you’ve ever hired employees, it’s likely that at least one of those candidates lied on their résumé. If you’ve ever been asked for your thoughts on a project but didn’t share the full extent of your critique, you were technically lying by omission. 

Lies aren’t always rooted in malicious intent. Sometimes, we tell little lies because it’s the polite thing to do. As the saying goes, we want to go along to get along. For example, if your business partner asks if you like a new pair of shoes they recently purchased, it doesn’t make sense to tell them you don’t think the shoes look nice. But, of course, some lies are malicious and have severe ramifications for business owners, employees, customers and society as a whole. 

Be More Honest 

After acknowledging that dishonesty is prevalent in business, business leaders should self-reflect — and make it a goal to be more honest in their daily interactions with others at work. 

Being more honest shouldn’t equate to being mean. You don’t need to give your business partner your true thoughts on, say, their new shoes or purse. But it should equate to being authentic in business matters. For instance, if you tend not to share your complete thoughts about projects out of fear of offending the other person, change that around. Share the full extent of your thoughts using constructive criticism best practices to guide you. If you avoid explaining your thought process behind major decisions to your employees, start taking steps to become a more transparent leader. If you find yourself telling clients what they want to hear rather than what they need to hear, then begin doing the opposite. The people on the receiving end of your honesty might initially feel uncomfortable, but I firmly believe that with time, they’ll thank you for your honesty. There’s weight in the saying, “An ugly truth is better than a pretty lie,” and its variations. 

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Create a Culture of Honesty 

As they self-reflect, business leaders should also consider how they might inadvertently be encouraging dishonesty in their workplaces. 

It’s not enough to tell employees to be honest and to tell them that they shouldn’t lie. If a workplace’s culture has been molded in such a way that employees feel like they have to lie to survive, chances are, they’ll do so. One common example I’ve observed goes back to big egos in business. Some leaders have big egos that cause them to not listen to or altogether avoid feedback from their team members. Fearing being reprimanded, employees learn over time that they have to conceal their true thoughts. That lack of candor is to the detriment of the business. Workplace policies are another reason why some employees might feel compelled to lie. For example, at a company where work-life balance is not prioritized, employees might not tell the truth about why they’re requesting time off with little advance notice. If they want to take the day off to decompress, they might say they came down with the flu to avoid getting disciplined or fired. 

By thinking about how their own practices might be facilitating workplace dishonesty, leaders can start to change their approaches. And with time, employees will likely become more honest. 

However, that does not mean that people aren’t responsible for their actions. Even if an environment encourages lying, lying is still a choice someone makes. A business owner can create an environment that embraces and encourages honesty, and team members might still lie. Creating a culture of honesty does not start and end with business owners. Everyone has to do their part. 

Accept That Lying Will Never Fully Go Away 

No matter how much business leaders try to curb lying within themselves and their teams, the reality remains that lying will never entirely go away. Business leaders should strive to become more savvy at detecting lies. Effective ways to do so, in my view, include thinking critically, cross-referencing information and, finally, avoiding echo chambers by seeking information from various sources and being willing to work with people who don’t have the same perspectives as you. 

Additionally, business owners should ask themselves, “What are livable lies?” By answering that question, business owners can set expectations and boundaries for what they will and won’t accept. 

Lying won’t disappear from our professional or personal lives. But we can combat it through every choice we make.