Whatever

A long time ago I realised that when people said things like ‘oh, I’m really shy’, or ‘I’m not really a very confident person’, nine times out of ten, it actually meant the opposite. These little affectations are polite, British ways of being understated, but in essence they are really lies. Fine you may think; they don’t harm anyone, but what about when these little porkies spread to the office? I’m pretty sure we lie at work on a daily basis. ‘Yes, I’ll do that report’; ‘I’ll get back to you next week’; ‘I’ll do that first’ – sound familiar? I only say this, because I think I need to ‘out’ myself. I’m definitely not lying when I say I lie. I’m feeling guilty, because lately, I feel I’ve been doing it more than usual. My falsehoods normally start from conversations similar to this: PR: “Hi, did you get my email for the other day” Me: [I’m already rattled, because I hate these follow-up calls] “…Yes, I did…I haven’t really had time to go through it yet (not a lie); can I get back to you later on in the week. (lie, I did see the email, but it wasn’t really useful to me, but I didn’t want to be so dismissive). PR: ‘OK, I’ll wait to hear back to you’ Me: ‘Great, I’ll call you soon, thanks’ Humpf. I really hate myself. My rational explanation is that I don’t like saying no to people. Simultaneously I realise, my little white lies are the worst thing I should do. I lead PR people on; ultimately I lead their clients on. (Am I leading myself on?) So, I’ve made a resolution today. I’m going to speak the truth. I’ve already tested it in the course of writing this blog. ‘Thanks for your email, but I don’t think this is really for us,’ I said to one PR. ‘Fine, let us know how we can help in the future,’ he said cheerily in reply.’ What!? Yes, it was far easier than I thought. I’ve realised that if I stick to my guns, people will have more respect for me, and working relations will be all the better for it. Why don’t you try and see if you can also seek to live a life of truths at work. You’ll be surprising how satisfying and energising it can be.