Truth and Lies

Ten years ago I invested a chunk of change into two courses about truth. One was a yearlong study of principles that were universal and could be applied into any situation. The other was based on cognitive psychology and had you look at where you were telling yourself a ‘truth’ that simply was not real. The content of both courses has been invaluable over the years. In a rapid turnover world it is testament that both are still available and running a decade later. I’m not here to sell you a course today; I am here to talk about truth.

We live in a world with a lot of information but not a lot of truth; that has been said before, and not just by me. The internet has become a self validating tool for almost any point of view. Pick an opinion, search it online and you will find a dozen articles supporting your belief. Of course you were right. Now search for the diametrically opposed position and another dozen articles appear. Try it. Pick something a little out of the ordinary “women should or should not wear trousers” for example.

No wonder people have such trouble sticking with the truth. Advertisers and marketers make a living out of manipulating truth to make their product more appealing. Products may not quite live up to what you interpret the advert as but it is too late as the small print got you. Some people go as far as becoming pathological in their lying; taking it to the point where they live the lie so well that they believe it is true even when shown otherwise.

In a world with so much misinformation we are breeding a generation of people who struggle to trust and who struggle with commitment. Recent studies highlighted the personal relationship issues for the Millennial generation, findings that can be attributed to not quite being able to trust completely. Part of the lack of trust has to do with how easy it is to manipulate the ‘truth’ online. A friend of mine went on a Tinder initiated blind date this week-he was disappointed because the girl he met looked very little like the edited and polished photos she had on her Instagram. If they are having this much trouble with trusting a partner then just imagine the trouble they are having trusting your word as a professional or as a brand.

This is why when someone who lives the story that they tell comes along people, after a little scrutiny, embrace them. Integrity, more than ever, is becoming a pathway to success. People will watch what you do far more than they will listen to what you say, and the two better match up. A track record matters more than ever when gaining credibility.

What can you do that enhances truth in your business?

Refuse to deal with liars. Call them out. Get rid of them. Sideline them. Surround yourself with people that you can trust and rely on.

Do not live a lie yourself. Tell great stories but do not make false promises, if anything under promise and then over deliver. If you cannot see yourself living up to your advertising then pull the ad.

Do great work. More than ever showing up consistently and reliably and producing something that matters in a manner that makes your clients happy is going to build your reputation bigger and faster than a fancy advertising campaign. The internet, the very thing that makes truth hard to find, is also the biggest amplifier of people sharing their experience of your work. Sure some people will try manipulating that too, you can hire ‘bots’ to post positive reviews about you should you wish, but the truth will eventually come out. There is no quick trick to greatness and success.