You are reading the FRACAT Blog Archive (also known as "FRACAT 1.0") for all posts prior to October 29th, 2007.
The Lies That Bosses and Potential Bosses Tell
Yesterday, I talked a little bit about not basing your career around the information you hear around the hallways.
Today, we’re going to talk about those teeny factual inaccuracies coming from the people you work for.
In my career so far, I’ve been lied to, lied about, and then lied to some more. I’ve had companies being sold with the upper management saying, “Not much will change. No layoffs are planned. Everything will be like it was, but better!” Before they laid off a third of the company.
I’ve had coworkers lie about my work (taking credit for it and getting paid for it) to my boss since they were both at headquarters and I was out in the field.
Like most everyone here, I’ve been lied to about a job I was interviewing for. You know the spiel: “It’s a great work environment (if you don’t mind people trying to get you fired so they can take your cube) with lots of challenges (like how to do your work without any tools, funding, or authority) and excellent career growth potential (mostly when you leave here).”
And I know I’m not alone in being a Designated Lie Recipient.
So, why do employers tell these lies that will obviously be found out? How can you trust anything coming out of the mouth of these people? And how do you make good career decisions with bad information?
THE LIES FLOW OVER US LIKE A WATERFALL
So, why is it that so many bosses feel free to lie to us about anything? There are a number of reasons:
- They Are Lying To Themselves - As the Wall Street Journal points out, many of the employers are first lying to themselves and then telling you what your job would be like in their own little fantasy world.
- You Don’t Really Want To Know The Truth - In business, things are frequently messy, unpredictable, and “fluid”. That means the bosses really have no idea what is going to happen tomorrow or where the money is all going to come from. Bosses frequently lie to cover that up and give a much more feel-good message.
- They Know They Won’t Have To Live With The Consequences - If lying had no negative consequences at all, more people would do it. Well, a lot of bosses know that they won’t be around when you find out about the lies. They’re moving on to another job / company / life and someone else can clean up the mess.
- They’re Women. Or Men. - Apparently, most people lie reflexively and without thinking about it. Men lie mostly to make themselves look good. Women lie mostly to make other people feel better. Neither is doing you any good, however…
In short, there are plenty of reasons that you’re lied to. But, while we’re swimming in this sea of lies, how do you figure out who to listen to?
HOW TO KNOW WHETHER YOUR BOSS IS A LIAR
Once you got to the point in your career where you were no longer shocked that your boss would say anything to get what he wanted, what could you do?
Some folks start their own businesses only to find out that the lies that clients tell make boss lies seem tame.
So, other than joining the Communist Party, what can you do about all of this lying? (NOTE: Joining the Communist Party is not recommended as they seem to have their own difficult relationship with the truth and, frankly, you’ve got bigger problems with Communism than just the lies…)
Here are a few things you can do to figure out if your boss is a liar and how to defend yourself:
- Test Him - If there is some piece of company information (layoffs, mergers, etc.) that you happen to know (for sure), ask your boss a question about it. See how he reacts. See if he lies to you about it.
- Be a Guinea Pig - Give your boss enough rope to hang…you. Make a very specific “if I do this, then you will do this” arrangement. Do your part and see whether your boss follows through or makes excuses.
- CYA - Whenever your boss makes a commitment to you (or vice versa), follow it up with an e-mail outlining what your impression of what you talked about was and the agreements that were made. This is a huge pain-in-the-butt, but not so big as putting the work in and the boss saying, “I never said that!”
- Shake the Trees - The beauty of social networking in 2007 is that you’re probably connected to someone who knows your boss or potential boss. Go to LinkedIn, Plaxo, MySpace, or wherever you have an account and see who know at the company. Preferably someone who recently left the company. Then get the straight skinny.
Using these techniques, you’ll be able to tell whether you should trust the word of your boss or look elsewhere for honest, trustworthy information.
Enjoy the Search!
Dan
—–
Daniel R. Sweet
Chief Cook-And-Bottle-Washer / Technical Recruiter
FRACAT.com - Free Resume and Career Toolbox
LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielrsweet
Call me on Jaxtr: http://www.jaxtr.com/fracat
Picture by: Allan Ferguson
Stumble it! 
add to del.icio.us 