(The Philippine Star) Updated June 26, 2011 12:00
A woman walks into the butcher shop just before
closing. She says, “Thank Heavens I’ve made it in time! Have you any
chicken?” The butcher opens his fridge, takes out his only chicken, and
plops it onto the scale. It weighs 2 1/2 pounds.
“Ah, haven’t you anything bigger?” the woman inquires.
The butcher returns the chicken to the fridge, takes it out again,
and plops it onto the scale, only this time, he keeps his thumb on the
chicken. The scale shows 3 1/4 pounds.
“Marvelous!” says the woman. “I’ll have both of them please.”
Uh-oh.
Motivational speaker Ron White wrote a very interesting article that’s very applicable for all of us in business:
“A few years ago, I was standing in line to get my car registration.
The woman in front of me had not renewed her tags and they were one year
over due. She was asked, ‘Has your car been sitting for the past year
or have you been driving it?’ She said, ‘What is the difference?’ She
was told that if she says she has been driving for the past year she was
going to have to pay $80.
However, if she said it had been sitting in
her garage then she would only have to pay $40. She then laughed and
sarcastically said, ‘Oh...in that case it has been sitting for a year!’
She laughed and it was obvious she was lying.
“She turned to me and said, ‘That was an easy decision.’ I looked her
right in the eye and I said,
‘Yes...it was.’ And you know what? As easy
as it was...she made the wrong decision.
“Why did she make the wrong decision? Because it was a lie. It is as simple as that.”
Lying may get you what you want for now, but it robs you of a greater
opportunity that is key in ensuring long-term success. Lying robs you
of building credibility.
It can take you 10 years to build your business reputation in your
community, but it’ll take you only 5 seconds to tear it down if you get
caught in a lie. And even if you don’t get caught, you still bring upon
yourself a greater damage. You can get so accustomed to lying that when
you swear to people you are lying, people still won’t believe you.
For the sake of your business and your career, make honesty your policy.
A solid and lasting business can only be built on honesty. If you
can’t sell without stretching the truth, it’s either your product is no
good so you improve it, or your sales strategy is no good so you get
some sales training. Lying is no option. If your customers even think
you are lying to them, you’ve lost their business.
It is easier to stick to the truth, even when it’s inconvenient,
because you don’t have to remember what you said the last time. Honesty
is thus less stressful. Besides, the truth eventually surfaces.
Here’s a thought worth keeping in mind: A little lie is like a little pregnancy. It doesn’t take long before everyone knows!
Whatever you do, make it the truth. Remember, it is the easy decision.
Funny, but it’s really simple, powerful and true - the truth sets us free.
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