Two kinds of liars

I’ve been thinking a lot about liars lately. From Donald Trump still lying about the 2020 ‘stolen election’ to recently elected U.S. Congressman George Santos egregiously lying about everything (which he refers to as a slight embellishment), there’s a lot of lying going around.

This past week evidence submitted in a $1.6 billion court case against Fox News in the United States shows while their on-air ‘reporters’ ranted about the stolen 2020 US election to stoke the Republican base, they privately exchanged e-mails with Fox management agreeing the election was not rigged and Trump and his minions were ‘liars, dangerous as hell, mind-blowingly nuts, a demonic force and totally off the rails.'

Why did they lie at the risk of undermining and destabilizing their nation? They did it to keep ratings and viewers and support the stock price of Fox Corporation, the owner of Fox News.

So, I’ve been thinking a lot about the subject of lying. What I’ve figured out is there are two types of liars. There are the delusional liars and the completely aware liars. The delusional liars are so narcissistic, so removed from reality that they actually believe their lies are the truth.

The completely aware liars, on the other hand, know their lies are lies but they tell them anyway to convince others of something, for financial gain or to make themselves appear to be exceptional.

So, are Trump and Santos delusional liars or completely aware liars? In any case, Trump’s lies and inappropriate behaviour weakened his brand enough to get him fired in 2020. Sooner or later lies destroy brands!

In business we probably have some delusional liars, but my guess is most are perfectly aware liars. Way too many businesses are making false claims to mislead or manipulate us with lies or half-truths. There’s false advertising, fake discounts, phony sales, bait and switch, small print, hidden charges and delivery dates they know they can’t meet. The list is endless.

My advice. Stop it. Stop it all now! Commit to creating an extraordinary business by doing the right thing extraordinarily well. 

Here’s something else to think about…
Business quote of the week: “The beginning of wisdom is the recognition of reality! There’s no wisdom in denial or false beliefs!”

Quick business tip: Make sure your employees are not ‘just’ an anything. When I’m touring a client’s facilities as part of my research, I love to ask front-line team members what they do. Sadly, the reply is often, “I’m just a machine operator” or “just an accounts receivable clerk.” What these replies tell me is they don’t think their job is important. Why? Because management has never told them why their job is important to the customer, the team, the business and the bottom line and they’re rarely, if ever, acknowledged, thanked and rewarded for making a difference.

How terribly sad to go through life feeling that you’re just a something instead of an extraordinary somebody doing something that matters. What will you do to make sure this never happens in your business?

Loads of Love. Sunshine Coin Laundries, with eight locations in South Florida, regularly holds free laundry events, called Loads of Love, for those in need throughout their community.

A few years ago, when speaking to a group of Heating & Air Conditioning Contractors (HVAC), I suggested they could take on the project of ensuring the HVAC for their local women’s shelter was always in first class operating order…no charge.

What could or will you do to bring help and love to your customers and your community? What a great subject for your next team meeting.

That’s it for this week. Stay safe. Live brilliantly!

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