You've Got to Be Kidding!: How to Keep Your Job Without Losing Your Integrity

So What If I Lie? Does It Really Matter?

While I do not believe that all lies are inherently or automatically evil, I am strongly biased against them for several reasons. First, I believe lying almost always produces negative consequences. Furthermore, I believe the truth will almost always serve personal and organizational needs better than a lie. Truth, as I am using it here, is the moral truth that is specific to the context and content of a conversation between two people and limited to the question: is someone deliberately misleading another person with false statements?

Consider the negative consequences of lies just in the case of professional communications. The lies themselves cause all sorts of mushrooming mischief and damage, such as poor decisions based on incorrect information. In addition, the liar is constantly worried about getting caught because if he is, his reputation will suffer. Even if he doesn’t get caught, he must frequently continue to lie in order to conceal the original deception. Worry and anxiety about being discovered—and subsequent energy to cover up the first lie with supporting deception—can take a horrendous toll on a person’s and organization’s productivity.

I am sure that most of us would agree that truthfulness is generally preferable to untruthfulness. My favorite philosopher, Aristotle, articulated the “doctrine of the golden mean.” Good ole “Ari” preached the virtue of moderation in all things, arguing against the application of one-answer-fits-all ...