Little White Lies
The story is as old as language itself. Many times, instead of honesty, we humans resort to “Little White Lies”. In other words, we mix a little truth in with our stretching of the truth or we flat out lie to avoid confrontation or embarrassment. Sometimes it’s done just to hide true motives.
These are famous LWLs (little white lies)
- The check is in the mail.
- My (mom, dad, sister, great aunt….) is in the hospital so I can’t make it
- We are still looking at other options.
This is the Truth
- I get paid next week and if my car is still running I will try to send you something.
- I partied too much over the weekend and I feel like an elephant is sitting on my head
- We never really intended to buy, we were just looking to see what it might cost in the unlikely event we ever do buy.
A little truth, a little defense, a little excuse. why can’t we all just be honest with each other, in life and in business? But It’s OK to tell an LWL to avoid hurting someone’s feelings right? Is it really ok? Little White Lies make the truth into falsehoods.
Is it OK to Tell Little White Lies?
But it will hurt their feelings if i tell them I don’t like their product. They didn’t come to my opening, so I’m not going to theirs. I don’t agree with their marketing campaign about a social issue, so I will tell them I bought it closer to home. All these are completely normal feelings or viewpoints. You are entitled to them. But why can’t people take ownership of their opinions and feelings? Ask yourself, how can anyone do better if they are unaware that they AREN’T doing better. Don’t we owe honesty to each other as humans? Lies, even little white lies, can get in the way of true improvement, better service or a better product. Most responsible business owners WELCOME the truth about their operations. Wouldn’t you want to know if you were in error or doing something poorly?
The Truth and Nothing But the Truth
Ok, so it is hard to tell someone they have their life invested in something no one really wants. It is also harder to tell someone you don’t agree with them on social issues, especially today. Maybe you really were just interested in how much something would cost, because you dream of buying or doing it someday. It is not easy to be truthful, but it can be liberating. Just be honest when you contact a business. At The Beacon Center, we encourage guests to ask questions, to make comments and generally give us feedback on our operation. Regardless of whether it is good or bad. The good reinforces things we should keep doing for our customers and the bad ones are a roadmap for improvement. We would know none of these without the truth. It is ok to be brutally honest, just do it with caring, compassion and a desire to be truthful to all.
Ask Us Anything
The Beacon Center will always tell you the truth. When you try to book 150 people, we will be honest and tell you they won’t fit. When you ask for a discount, we tell you we do too and have already built in a discount by charging less than anyone in our market. What we can promise you is the truth that booking with us will help to ensure your event is successful.
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