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- July 17, 2008
Five Most Common Business Lies
Paul LaFontaine left Bertelsmann Music Group in March 1997 to advise other business people about radical honesty. One of the things he says is “There are as many lies in business as there are people in business. Here are his picks for The Five Most Common Lies in Business:
Lie: People are our Most Important Asset:
Truth: “People are our most worrisome and unpredictable asset. Our most important assets are really our financial assets.”
B.S. Detector: This may be the leading lie of our times. “When management starts talking about how important people are,” LaFontaine says, “you can bet there is going to be an unpopular human resources decision coming soon.”
Lie: “We judge people by their performance”
Truth: “I judge your performance based on how much I like you.”
B.S. Detector: Why do most people who keep their jobs keep them? LaFontaine says it’s because the people they work for like them. And you get fired when the people you work for don’t like you anymore.
Lie: “This was a Management Decision”
Truth: This is generally the way a Supervisor takes the pressure off of him or herself by involving everyone in the decision. Chances are if you took a poll, at least one or two managers will have no clue they were involved in the decision.
Lie: “This is business so don’t take it personal.”
Truth: “Everything’s personal.”
B.S. Detector: LaFontaine contends people will get at mad at each other, so get mad back, get over it and move on. He believes that any disagreement can be handled with an honest conversation.
Lie: “The customer comes first.”
Truth: “I come first.”
B.S. Detector: “More often than not, ‘the customer’ is an abstraction,” LaFontaine warns. “People take care of customers when it benefits them and ignore customers when they can get away with it. Nobody says ‘I come first,’ which is what’s usually going on.”
12 Responses to “Five Most Common Business Lies”
I didn’t leave in ‘97 to advise people on Radical Honesty. I left to go join the dotcom boom. I sold out, and I’m glad of it. I used Radical Honesty to make a tidy sum for myself. I am well gratified that my five lies survives to this day. My ego has its 15 minutes…
By Paul LaFontaine on Jul 17, 2008
Mr. LaFontaine,
First of all, let me say THANK YOU for taking the time to comment on this post. I just stumbled across an article in which you were quoted and I felt it was worthy of my website. The reason being is because I, too, faced the lies told in Corporate America, and you, Sir, provide the REINFORCEMENT!
By Beverly on Jul 17, 2008
All I can say is I’m glad I left the corporate world a long time ago. Who needs all that office politics anyway? I don’t. Mind you, there’s enough of it in the virtual working world too but at least I can sit in my office alone without worrying about what the person at the next desk is thinking or doing – they’re out of sight and therefore out of mind for the most part. I’m queen boss of my immediate world and love it that way!
By Kathie Thomas, A Clayton's Secretary on Jul 17, 2008
Honest and true info! People talk the talk, but seldom walk the talk!
By Debbie on Jul 18, 2008
Beverly,
This was a wonderful post. Mr. LaFontaine had the guts to write an article that had truth, and you had the insight to resurrect his article.
I can remember many huge unpleasant corporate decisions that came out as soon as their dis-information distraction strategies were complete.
We are often affected by these corporate decisions even when we are not the employees. Our family, neighbors, customers, and clients work for these companies!
Sally
Dr. Sally Witt
http://www.drsallywitt.com
By Dr. Sally Witt on Jul 18, 2008
Add this to the list:
LIE: This company thinks of you as part of it’s family
TRUTH: Only as long as their bottom line is green – when money is tight you become a “poor relative” and get booted out the door with your hat in hand, usually accompanied by a couple of burly security personnel.
By PopArtDiva on Jul 18, 2008
I wish I could say I hadn’t heard (and believed) most of those lies during my corporate tenure. Unfortunately, I can personally vouch for everything Mr. LaFontaine wrote – which is why I now work for myself!
By Melodieann Whiteley on Jul 19, 2008
I loved your article! Here’s another you can add to the list. I worked in Corporate America for 17 years and when we received the following words in an email from management we knew quota was going up and the resources we needed to close business were being cut:
LIE: In order to provide better service to our customers and support to the field team we are going to…
The rest would be a mismash of terms stated in such a way you would scratch your head trying to figure it out what was being said. You just knew this wasn’t going to be good for you or your customer.
By Arlene on Jul 19, 2008
All of this is just affirmation to me of why I needed to be the head of my own business/corporation. It is my desire to go over and above for my employees, so that they will never have these experiences. Everyone needs to feel valued and encouraged, certainly as much as possible.
Great post, Beverly.
By Pam Archer on Jul 19, 2008
Beverly,
I think that is one thing that sets one business head and shoulders above the rest. How they treat people.
Sadly, I remember one company whose owner claimed to want those working to sell his service get the biggest share of the profit possible.
Then as the company grew it went public, story was because it would be more credible, but owner would keep major share of stock. He didn’t. Focus became please the stockholders, more profit, not so good for their customers or those selling the service.
Sold a couple more times, last time to a group who milked assets out of the company to feed their floundering company while saying all is well. Then announced bankruptcy and loss of promised commissions.
Then management who was saying all is well, lying, went to another company and said come here and we’ll give you a great deal.
No thank you! Who in their right mind would follow someone who lies. Story was we weren’t allowed to tell the truth.
By Heidi Caswell on Jul 19, 2008
This is hilarious! And so true.
By Rita@Coldivas on Jul 24, 2008
Oops – It’s Rita at Goldivas, not Coldivas!
http://www.goldivas.com/
By Rita@Goldivas on Jul 24, 2008