US economy

Alternative facts for entrepreneurs: What to do when your boss channels Donald Trump


Question: I have a very confusing situation. I work for a business with about 50 employees scattered over four locations. A position that pays more at a nearby company came up. I told my manager about it and he said not to worry; he promised me he would ask for a raise for me with the owner. Well, now the position is closed and I found out that my manager never requested my pay bump. How do I continue to work with this guy? —  Melanie 

Answer: Does it seem to you that lying has gone mainstream? Because it does to me. 

One reason, of course, is our president.   

Lying is corrosive to democracy, and, yes, the truth. It confuses people (as it is intended to) and it sows dissention. Yes, sure, all presidents lie (“I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Ms. Lewinsky,”; “Your president is not a crook”) but these days, the lies are on a different, toxic scale. 

Ever had a boss like that? I once had a boss give me “two days” to do a project that required a month. When I came back two days later with only a portion completed, she said, “I was just testing you.”  

“Toxic” is the word. 

When a boss – or really, for that matter, a co-worker – lies to you, little good can come of it. One of the essential things that make work (and life) go ’round is trust. When trust erodes, the culture of the company suffers. 

I have to be able to trust that when you say you handled that issue, you handled it. You have to be able to trust that when I say I will put you up for a raise that I put you up for a raise. And when you don’t handle it and I don’t put you up, we will no longer trust each other.  

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The results aren’t good: 

Gossip: Instead of working as a team, when lying invades the workspace, especially in a small business, pernicious gossip is the result. You quietly tell your clique what a jerk I am. I tell mine that you can’t be trusted. People tell each other that we can’t work together.  

Gaps: (Note: I am talking lies that make a difference, not the white lies that get us through the day.)  When people lie to each other on the job, they won’t be able to trust each other. What suffers is the work. Things may not get done, or done on time, or at all. Processes will fail. Dissention looms. Customers will notice. 

Morale: When people don’t trust each other because they have learned that they can’t trust each other, morale suffers. The culture suffers. The works suffers.  

And when it is the the boss who is the liar, things will go downhill really fast. No one wants to work for someone who can’t be trusted, whose word is not their bond. In a roaring economy like this one, people will simply leave. 

So, what do you do when the boss lies? Simple: Be a grownup. Clear the air. Talk it out. You and your boss should make amends and try to move on. Because if you don’t, the air is going to get awfully polluted.  

And if your boss won’t change, jump on the bus, Gus, and set yourself free.  

Steve Strauss is an attorney, popular speaker and the best-selling author of 17 books, including “The Small Business Bible.” You can learn more about Steve at MrAllBiz.com, get even more tips at his site TheSelfEmployed, and connect with him on Twitter @SteveStrauss and on Facebook at TheSelfEmployed.



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