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Lying? Bite your tongue.
No one uses that word in the rental industry — do
they?
The habit of lying to
bosses, co-workers and customers isn’t nice to talk
about. Nevertheless, it remains one of the primary
enemies to profits, productivity, effective management
and team spirit. So talk about it we must, if we
envision a workplace where people say what they mean and
do what they say.
Lying in business begins
with the “harmless” excuses that just aren’t true.
Late to a meeting or work shift? “Sorry, traffic on
the freeway was backed up for miles.” (“Strange,”
a co-worker muses, “the freeway was perfectly clear
when I drove in.”) Unwilling to make a last-minute
business trip? “Sorry, my spouse is going to have a
minor operation this weekend and I need to be there.”
(How surprising when your boss runs into the two of you
Saturday night at a restaurant.) So then the little lie
must be extended: “Well, the operation was postponed
…”
Fibs, fabrications. Is
it just human nature? Perhaps. But these threads of
deception quickly weave together into a modus operandi
by which company liars con and manipulate their work
associates and customers.
And employees used to
telling small lies have no trouble inventing
medium-sized falsehoods for the customer: “Well, we
had a major computer failure that backed everything up.”
Medium-sized lies are
found in three areas in particular:
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Managing
by deception. “If it were up to me, I would say
‘yes,’ but the boss is dead set against that. I’ll
see, but …”
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Distorting
the sales and customer satisfaction process. “No
matter what the rental contract says, you just call
me directly if you have any problems down the line.”
When the customer does indeed call with a
significant problem not covered by the contract, the
lie must be extended: “There must have been some
misunderstanding. We don’t have authority to
change contract terms.” What tangled webs we
weave.
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Disguising
performance failure. “It isn’t my fault. I didn’t
receive thorough training on that.” (Variants: “the
boss played favorites,” “the competition
cheated,” “I thought Charlie was making sure of
that.”)
Dealing with the
rippling consequences of these medium-sized lies can
consume untold hours.
A worker adept in
medium-sized lies soon graduates to the real whoppers.
These are the elaborate, calculated deceptions and
prevarications that often send rental companies to
court, set worker against worker and shatter client
relationships beyond repair. Whoppers usually occur in
these business situations:
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Desperate
efforts to survive. “I’m about to get demoted or
fired — let’s see which whopper will suffice…
“I have been sexually harassed (or discriminated
against or psychologically stressed) in the
workplace.” Of course these charges are often true
and always deserve careful, fair scrutiny, but at
times they are also used as trump cards by players
willing to attack others unfairly to save
themselves. “I have a condition that requires
accommodation.” Again, appeals to the terms of the
Americans with Disabilities Act — ADA — always
should be investigated carefully, but if ADA
provisions are distorted by some manipulative
employees to create whopper lies, everyone in the
company suffers — especially those whom ADA was
intended to protect.
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Excuses
for disastrous decisions. “I miscalculated
equipment availability for a major contract with a
builder. …We have to fulfill the contract, even
though there’s no profit left in it. It’s time
for a whopper… I based my decision on data
provided to me by someone at the customer’s main
office.… No, I don’t have a name. But I now see
how inaccurate that information was.”
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Explanations
for gross insubordination and interpersonal
conflict. “My boss gave me yet another poor
performance review. …Only a whopper can turn the
tables… He has disliked me from Day One in this
company because I spoke my mind and wouldn’t be a
yes-man.” Many exemplary bosses have been tarred
with the brush of calculated lies from
under-performers. In response, bosses sometimes shy
away from calling a spade a spade in companies that
don’t support straight talk and frank judgments.
It’s socially awkward
to catch a liar in the act. Even if you dare to
challenge a person’s truthfulness on the spot, that
challenge rarely changes behavior. Liars just get more
proficient in order not to get caught.
To build a company
culture based on telling the truth, management must
commit to positive measures that
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support
employees who dare to tell the truth, especially in
difficult circumstances
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allow
the frank admission of error and failure as part of
the learning curve on the way to excellence
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demonstrate
how business efficiency and relationships improve
when lying isn’t allowed as an option.
Training sessions and
orientation/learning materials for new and old employees
are superb places to emphasize the company’s
commitment to truthful statements and interaction at all
levels. Company publications can focus attention on the
theme. The company’s mission, goals and objectives can
contain language that refers to truthful internal and
external relationships.
Above all, performance
appraisal standards can focus in part on professional
integrity, not just technical competence. When lying has
direct and expensive consequences in the company,
employees follow their self-interest in deciding to tell
it like it is.
Reflect for a moment on
how your business day would be less stressful and more
productive if you could simply count on the truthfulness
of what every manager and co-worker said to you.
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