10 Times It's OK to Lie to Your Boss

By Geoffrey James | June 17, 2011

Sales Machine

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Honesty is the best policy, right? Wrong! There are times where you owe it yourself (and even to your firm) to lie to the boss.

This post contains ten real-life situations where deception is the better part of honor.

CLICK for the first OK lie

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Photos from Bigstockphoto.com

Related Tags Situation, Boss, Recruitment & Staffing, Human Resources, Workforce Management, Geoffrey James

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RE: The 10 Times It's OK To Lie to Your Boss

I love your content...yes even with the multiple page clicks...

But I've got to ask, where do you get your clipart from? It always matches your stories PERFECTLY. Is there a company you can recommend? I wish I could find such perfect clipart.

TechRepublic - Super User

06/17/2011 09:20 AM

BNET Blogger

RE: RE: The 10 Times It's OK To Lie to Your Boss

@TechRepublic - Super User
Gee, thanks!

I added a photo credit.

Geoffrey James, Sales Machine

06/17/2011 09:35 AM

RE: RE: The 10 Times It's OK To Lie to Your Boss

@TechRepublic - Super User <br><br><a href="http://www.bigstockphoto.com/search/category/business" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.bigstockphoto.com/search/category/business</a><br><br>You can usually find where an image came from by right clicking on the image and selecting "properties." In this case, the author went to the above web site, and searched "business woman lying." Hope that helps.

dena1281

06/21/2011 03:15 PM

RE: 10 Times It's OK To Lie to Your Boss

i dont think its ever ok to lie to your a coworker ... it will bite you bake every time !

Marco

mgiunta

06/17/2011 12:47 PM

RE: RE: 10 Times It's OK To Lie to Your Boss

@mgiunta

Ain't nothing worse than a bitten bake ... absolutely nothing.

2TallTexan

06/21/2011 02:29 PM

RE: RE: RE: 10 Times It's OK To Lie to Your Boss

@2TallTexan Very funny to laugh with people with another mother tongue... How is your Spanish ?

Ydde

06/21/2011 11:50 PM

Flag

RE: 10 Times It's OK To Lie to Your Boss

I try not to lie to my boss. But then again I don't care about my job. I am amazed that the average company can even turn a profit. They must really have to sock it to the workers and consumers of their product to stay in business. Most of them anyway.

mnbrant

06/19/2011 08:11 PM

RE: RE: 10 Times It's OK To Lie to Your Boss

@mnbrant You may want to leave your company and find a job you enjoy. Start with thinking about where you want to work. Many companies are well run and profitable without socking it to anyone. However, a bad attitude won't get you anywhere, except unemployed.

kirk@...

06/21/2011 03:02 PM

RE: 10 Times It's OK To Lie to Your Boss

Great article! Actually it's an even better article for the bosses - of which I am one - to read, as a reminder of how NOT to act.

I would also add that you should lie about your private life when possible, but do it though lies of omission. If your not married, say nothing about who your dating. If you are married, don't discuss what your spouse does for a living if you can, otherwise make it as vague as possible. And always give the impression that your not as well off as you would like. Remember, in the last analysis, the only thing that your boss has to motivate you is money, and if you are sitting on a quarter million dollar trust find inheritance then if you tell your boss or anyone at work that, it's like telling them that they have no lever to motivate you.

tmittelstaedt

06/20/2011 01:24 AM

BNET Blogger

RE: RE: 10 Times It's OK To Lie to Your Boss

@tmittelstaedt
I think you've got it exactly backwards on that last point. It's much smarter if you let the boss think that you'd be better off if you left. Then he has to offer you more money and hand you less BS in order to keep you in your current position.

Geoffrey James, Sales Machine

06/20/2011 07:10 AM

RE: RE: RE: 10 Times It's OK To Lie to Your Boss

@Geoffrey James, Sales Machine
THANK YOU Geoffrey for that comment! My wife is the bread winner (especially in the current role I play) and I leaked that out at work. I am doing a great job building sales and offering to take on all sorts of other revenue grossing activities to ensure some wonderful things at my review.

A8LOOONG

06/22/2011 12:12 PM

Flag

RE: RE: 10 Times It's OK To Lie to Your Boss

@tmittelstaedt What you refer to as 'lies of omission' are not lies at all. Misrepresenting or denying the facts is lying; not providing information, voluntarily or not, is simply being judicious. If someone makes a false assumption about you, you are under no obligation to correct them...especially if it concerns your personal life. Although you should correct them to protect the innocent, etc.

Spitpilot

06/24/2011 08:20 AM

RE: 10 Times It's OK to Lie to Your Boss

Is there a way to save a copy of this?

jeffn1

06/21/2011 02:32 PM

BNET Blogger

RE: RE: 10 Times It's OK to Lie to Your Boss

@jeffn1
I'm afraid it's going to have to be "cut and paste." Sorry. I may post a summary next week, though.

Geoffrey James, Sales Machine

06/21/2011 04:24 PM

RE: 10 Times It's OK to Lie to Your Boss

I had to stop reading after lie #2 because having to click through each one is too annoying. I'll just assume that I was going to disagree with the rest of the article, anyway. No loss.