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Lies aren’t always rooted in malicious intent. Sometimes, we tell little lies because it’s the polite thing to do. As the saying goes, we want to go along to get along. For example, if your business partner asks if you like a new pair of shoes they recently purchased, it doesn’t make sense to tell them you don’t think the shoes look nice. But, of course, some lies are malicious and have severe ramifications for business owners, employees, customers and society as a whole.
Being more honest shouldn’t equate to being mean. You don’t need to give your business partner your true thoughts on, say, their new shoes or purse. But it should equate to being authentic in business matters. For instance, if you tend not to share your complete thoughts about projects out of fear of offending the other person, change that around. Share the full extent of your thoughts usingto guide you.
By thinking about how their own practices might be facilitating workplace dishonesty, leaders can start to change their approaches. And with time, employees will likely become more honest.