Lies as a Basis of Business are Destroying Your Profits
I will begin this article with a rather long quote from "Atlas Shrugged" by Ayn Rand as it says so much:
"Did it occur to you... that there there is no conflict of interests among men, neither in business nor in trade nor in their most personal desires - if they omit the irrational from their view of the possible and destruction from their view of the practical. There is no conflict, and no call for sacrifice, and no man is a threat to the aims of another - if men understand that reality is an absolute not to be faked, that lies do not work, that the unearned cannot be had, that the undeserved cannot be given, that the destruction of a value which is, will bring value to that which isn't. The businessman who wishes to gain a market by throttling a superior competitor, the worker who wants a share of his employer's wealth, the artist who envies a rival's higher talent - they're all wishing facts out of existence, and destruction is the only means of their wish. If they pursue it, they will not achieve a market, a fortune or an immortal fame - they will merely destroy production, employment and art. A wish for the irrational is not to be achieved, whether the sacrificial victims are willing or not. But men will not cease to desire the impossible and will not lose their longing to destroy - so long as self-destruction and self-sacrifice are preached to them as the practical means of achieving the happiness of the recipients."
This is a pretty long quote but anything chopped out will do it a dis-service. The whole book is a stunning view of what living a life based on lies and false assumptions does to all, especially seeing it was published in 1957.
Assuming you got this far, my central point is that lies will never allow for the development of true lasting success. Of course almost everyone will agree with this in principle but it's when put to the test of practise in reality that justifications for lies start to proliferate.
We are told that lies are bad. Yet a white lie is good. A white lie is considered good because it saves another person from being hurt. But let us consider what warping reality does to the people involved. It starts small but it grows increment by increment till we spend our whole lives pretending that there aren't herds of sacred cows in the room (watch where you step).
Charging Peter to Save Paul, to offset Mary (a true story)
Company X serves Company Y. Company Y pays for the service from Company X. When company X can't complete a job it calls on the services of Company Z. Seems pretty simple and practical. Well not so.
Company X makes a lot of mistakes. Staff members get things wrong often. These errors cost Company X hundreds of dollars a time. Company X doesn't want to accept the extra costs so they tell Company Y that there was an unavoidable trouble but there was a solution in calling on Company Z. Company Z charges more, especially for emergency service. Company X must pass on the charges from Company Z to Company Y.
Let me tell you now that Company Z does not exist. Company X maintains the existence of Company Z as a way of passing the costs of their own errors to Company Y. This is an unforgivable lie that threatens the contract with Company Y.
There is however a greater set of lies here that is causing all of this convoluted tale. Company X won't admit that they are making errors. Not accepting the errors prevents them from facing the cold hard facts that there is a cause for all the errors. There is something fundamentally wrong at the core of the business that shows up as these costly staff errors. The CEO and owner of Company X have a fundamental lie they need to recognise and resolve.
I don't know the exact core problem of Company X but I know it is there because of the evidence. The lies can only hide the problem for a short time. If not resolved Company X will be exposed and take a massive beating in the market.
The question is: does Company Y know what is happening? Interestingly they may do. If they do and turn a blind eye, creating another lie of their own, that will have shocking consequences beyond the inflated costs from Company X. As long as Company Y accepts the lie from Company X then they will accept other lies and create lies of their own.
If there is a Company A which offers an honest service and they offer their service to Company Y, Company Y will either refuse the offer outright or will attempt to destroy Company A by insisting on such terrible terms that Company A could not profit by the association.
If Company A has internal lies they will find themselves dragged into the mess. There will be an executive in Company A saying that there is expedient in having relationship with Company Y and that the relationship will make things better for Company A by destroying Company X. Once Company X is destroyed then Company A will put up it's prices to higher than Company X would ever have dared.
If Company A have no internal lies they will walk away from Company Y and look for a Company B who like them have no lies and seek a universally beneficial economy.
How to Avoid the Lies and Have a Better Life
Best answer is never to start. For most of us it is a bit late as we have already told our husbands and wives that we liked their healthy broccoli soup that was green water with green broccoli maggots floating on the top, and started the rot.
To stop and cut out the rot of lies (even the white ones) you have to question the very cores of your assumptions under the uncompromising light of scientifically factual truth.
You have to realise that every perceived gain you have as the result of a lie is costing you more than you are gaining, if not today then tomorrow.
The harder a lie fights to stay in your life, the more damaging the lie is to your life. No exemption.
Find the sacred cows in your room and toss them out: sack the ideas that are lies, sack the staff who serve the lies, sack the customers who feed on the lies.
Build the truth and set that burning in the centre of your business (and life): hire and motivate staff who serve this truth, hire customers who uphold this truth and profit from it as much as you do.
If you are an employee you can either take the concept of "Trim Tabbing" found in Stephen Covey's "8th Habit" book and start to lead your boss or if things are too far gone look for a less conflicted workplace.
Initially you may find it a challenge to speak plainly but soon you will find that it is easier to do than creating rooms full of sacred cows and brings greater reward as you can change anything in your business and life for greater success.
If you want me to work with your business then please visit BRM Web Consulting
