JS Tip 295: Some More Discussion about Honesty
Tips from Jefferson Smith Training and Consulting
** From the Ethics and Values Workshops: Some More Answers about Honesty
We’ve been having a discussion about honesty.
Last week, we asked if a compliment—given for encouragement—was lying.
Again, you responded beautifully.
One comment—
Giving people an insincere comment as “encouragement” is what we used to call “jelly-bean” motivation. It’s worse than no encouragement at all, because people can see right through the lie. It’s fake and it shows.
Another comment—
Everyone lies, without exception. People do it so as not to hurt another person’s feelings. For example, they will lie about how someone looks or how they dress if they have to comment and the comment would be demeaning. They do it to children to protect them from subjects they are not prepared to understand or not capable of comprehending or because of specific beliefs. The lies about Santa this time of year are running rampant around the world. We would all do it to protect or save someone else’s life as was done during the Holocaust to protect the Jews from the Nazi’s. Giving any similar circumstance to protect someone’s life we would like too. As a general rule lying is not acceptable, however, it is a necessary part of our lives for many reasons and those readers who commented otherwise are lying.
And a third comment—
Most people believe they do more than they actually do. Acknowledging the support of your partner in a project isn’t lying; not being honest about your own productivity is where the focus should be.
Good discussion. We appreciate you. Next week, we'll go someplace else.
We love this stuff.
** Recent Tips
JS Tip 294: Some Answers about Lying
JS Tip 293: A Think Piece
JS Tip 292: Say "Thank you" on Veteran's Day
JS Tip 291: Spooky Words Five
JS Tip 290: Spooky Words Four
Copyright © 2014 Jefferson Smith Training and Consulting, All rights reserved.
We're trying out a new email service. Let us know what you think.
Our mailing address is: Jefferson Smith Training and Consulting 90 West 500 South, Bountiful, UT, United States Bountiful, UT 84010 USA