The last attribute you would add to your resume would be “liar.”
            How tacky, unethical, slovenly, vile and repulsive…to be known as a liar.  You are probably sputtering right now, “Hey, LeMon, I wouldn’t have the title on my office door if I regularly lied!  Hello?”
            This article is not a personal attack; it is professional challenge. 
You, like every other leader who went before or after you, is regularly seduced to lie.  Why?  Lying is just easy.
            When you have organizational power, lying is one more narcissistic “privilege” that comes with a title and…control.   
            If you are still reading and I have not totally offended you with my baseline assumption, I believe there are seven “acceptable” lies most leaders believe they have been endowed by their Creator to tell.  I will provide, with each lie, the reason why it is easy to play fast and loose with the truth.
            Lie #1: “We have a strategic plan for our future.”
            This is an easy response for leadership because it responds to the accusation, “This place has no mission or purpose…we just keep doing the same thing…nothing ever changes around here.”
            If your organization does not have at least a three year plan for how you will respond to radical shifts in the economy, attitudes of your consumers and challenges from your competitors, Lie #1 is a great way to get everyone off your back.
            Lie #2:  “You are doing acceptable work in your job.” 
            Notice the choice of the word “acceptable.”  This word normally means, “You are not measuring up to what I want from you, but I don’t have the time or energy to fight with you over your annual performance review.”
            This lie never results in positive change.  It is a verbal equivalent of grits.  You know you had something for breakfast but it was not worthy of the adjectives “great” or “outstanding.”
            Lie #3:  “We need to develop a risk-free environment for new ideas.”
            You will know this is a lie if the leader, after hearing a new idea that includes thinning out management ranks, responds with, “If anyone has a serious idea, we are ready to entertain it.”
            No one produces new ideas if he/she does not feel “safe.”  The choice of “serious idea” will certainly not create a safe environment for people to risk stating a new idea. 
            Lie #4:  “Our customer service is the best in the nation.”
            That statement is a glib generalization that gives everyone the “happies.” Unfortunately, it is not based in fact.
            The wrong people to decide the quality of your customer service are not the people rocking back and forth in faux-leather chairs in some conference room.   If you want to know how good, or bad, your service is…ask your customers. 

            Lie #5:  “We are not getting older…we are getting better.”
Sometimes “older” and “better” are not synonymous (look in the mirror!). It is a lie if your organization has not made an internal organizational review, lead by an outside consultant, to accurately determine what activities and policies are adding to or detracting from your success.
Lie #6:  “I want to hear what you like and do not like about our plan for next year.” 
            Really?  This is a lie if, after issuing this open-ended invitation, someone from the staff stands and says, “I think our plan will fail and I am concerned about the implications for our reputation in the industry” and the leader responds, “I am looking for positive people to be part of this department.”
This statement is a lie if the leader discounts any response which is not in concert with his/her opinion.  If this lie is perpetuated, silence will stalk every staff meeting.
            Lie #7:  “Our future looks bright.”
            I would agree with that statement if it was attached to, “We have four, specific challenges this year.  After we have successfully addressed these issues, I am convinced our future looks bright.”
The essence of caring, respectful leadership is someone who can be both realistic and positive.  The realism always precedes the optimism.
So, how about it?  Any lies lying around your office today?