photo credit: kennymatic

A debate has sprung up in the business blogosphere prompted by an article written by Nicole Williams in the Huffington Post called 5 Lies You Should Tell Your Boss.

There are indeed situations in the workplace where not telling the truth is just fine, but you have to know when it’s appropriate. (Oh, and make sure to keep track of all your fibs or you could be out of a job in no time!)

She goes on to list 5 things she’s ” giving you permission to lie about:”

1. Your worth.
2. Your future plans.
3. Your experience.
4. Your health.
5. Your tardiness.

In response, Mike Henry Sr. at Lead Change Group posted to his blog, asking What types of relationships start with a lie?.

When someone lies, they do it because of fear. I used to say the only acceptable lies are when someone asks you if they’re pretty or thin. But in reality, my own faults not excepted, there are no acceptable lies because a fear based life makes us selfish and empty. It takes courage to tell the truth and our world needs courage more today than in recent memory.

As we discussed last week, the economy has many people feeling like they’re in a position where they are required to lie. A highly competitive job market coupled with the normal tendencies people have to want to cover up gaps or flaws in their employment history makes for a tempting test of truth.

Obviously, ethics are on the side of honesty. But if that’s not a good enough reason not to lie, there are also practical considerations: if you’re in a small town or a tight-knit community, you can probably expect that even the most trivial exaggeration will be easily verifiable and could ruin your credibility. And let’s face it, your environs need not be that small. While hiring in the densely populated Bay Area, I occasionally encountered resumes from candidates I’d heard cautionary stories about from other hiring managers. Word does get around, and you want your name to be associated with integrity and reliability, not mistrust.

Moreover, when you get to the specifics of what people might lie about, such as your future plans as Ms. Williams suggested, what becomes apparent is that we’re not so much talking about lying as about understanding relevance and context.

In other words, If you’re in a corporate interview for, say, a graphic design position and you’re asked about your future goals, the interviewer is not looking for a treatise on your ambitions in the fine arts; what the interviewer seeks is an understanding of what relevant aspirations you have relative to the job in question. In which case you might answer something about contributing to the successful visual identity of a beloved brand — whatever it is that actually would make the work you’re applying for meaningful to you. It’s not lying to restrict your answers to that scope; it’s merely being specific about the context of your possible responses.

In his post, Mike Henry, Jr. touches on this point, too, when he writes that Ms. Williams’ HuffPo piece raised questions, such as:

Would you prefer someone who knew the truth and hired you anyway?

As long as your truth is a contextually relevant truth (and provided the job you’re interviewing for is a decent fit), there’s no reason an honest answer should hold you back. Just remember that honesty is not a substitute for thoughtfulness; they work best when they work together.

Also in his list of questions is:

Is there an acceptable excuse for lying?

Ultimately, it’s up to you and your conscience to decide. But as many others before me have pointed out (including Ms. Williams), the truth is far easier to maintain than deceit, and personally, I generally choose the truth for all of the reasons above plus one more: I have too much on my mind to keep up with various versions of reality.

What’s your take? When is it OK to lie, or is it ever? Leave your thoughts in the comments.

photo credit: jcoterhals

You know that interview question about what your biggest weaknesses are? Ten bucks says you still have an impulse to answer “I’m a perfectionist” or “sometimes I care too much” even though you know both answers are wrong and absurd.

Believe me, everyone you work with knows your weaknesses. The question is, do you?

Last week we talked about being what you’re good at. This week, why not turn it around and acknowledge what needs improvement?

photo credit: Michal Osmenda

If you’re like us, work requires you to take a trip every now and then. Or, if you’re like us, you find yourself needing to do a bit of work, even while on vacation to exotic locales.

So, in an effort to help you maximize your time, stay productive and stay balanced at 30,000 feet in the air, here are our 10 tips for in-air (or in-airport) productivity.

In the airport

1. Find a quiet spot. While it’s impossible to escape the announcements and cellphone conversations that ravage your peace and quiet, you can minimize it by sitting at a gate without a flight scheduled soon. Add some headphones and don’t face the walking areas of the concourse and you might just limit distraction enough to get the job done.
2. Have your carry-on bags packed with a high level of organization and a low level of stuff. This not only makes it easier to speed through the bag screening, but you won’t waste any time searching through a wasteland of paperwork to find what you’re looking for. Light is better for your back, too, and you won’t have to worry about finding a spot overhead for a giant bag.
3. When you’re packing your carry-on, dedicate one small section or pocket for the things that normally reside in your pants pockets. As you’re in line for the metal detectors, empty everything in your pockets into that section. As soon as you’re through, back in the pants it all goes. Being able to do this on the fly saves lots of time and aggravation.
4. Resist the urge to chow down. Airport food is famously unhealthy and expensive. Not only will you have to make up for those extra calories and cash, but any time you spend waiting in line is a waste, too. If you simply have to have something, then go with coffee, fruit, or something pre-made. You’ll save cash, calories, and minutes.
5. Hit the bathroom on the way to get your luggage. Everyone’s in such a hurry to get from the jetway to the baggage carousel, but all you’re going to do there is wait some more. A better use of your time and the facilities? Make a quick dash for the loo en route to your bags.

In the air

1. Save your magazines for pre-flight and pre-10,000 feet. Since you can’t listen to your iPod or boot up your laptop yet (and since you don’t want to listen to pre-flight announcements), this is a perfect time to catch up on the latest Fast Company or Wired. So, if you have a trip coming in the next two weeks, resist the urge to read magazines at home so you’ll better use your time in your seat.
2. Signal to your seatmate that you mean business. If you’re going to be working during the flight, your initial introduction to the folks on your row of seats should be straightforward. Just say hello, then immediately buckle your seat belt and open a book, legal pad, laptop, etc. This – unlike a newspaper – projects that you’re going to be working on the flight. You won’t make any friends this way, but you’ll gain valuable minutes.
3. Have the laptop ready to go. Make sure it’s fully charged and on standby so when you hear that magic ding while passing through 10,000 feet, you’ll be able to crack it open and get started. Feel free to also have documents or presentations already open. Sure, we’re only talking about minutes, but minutes matter.
4. Drink water; save the snacks. You don’t want a bunch of food crowding that already tiny seat-back tray. Drink a cup of water to stay fresh and go ahead and accept the free peanuts. Just save them for when it’s time to put the laptop away or when you’re waiting to get off the plane.
5. Not using a laptop in flight? Then make a plan for what you’re reading or writing. Strategy matters just as much when it comes to analog work as it does digital work. So, if you’re reading reports first, have them ready to rock at takeoff. Or, if you’re penning a speech, make sure pad and paper are at the ready so you can use every precious moment of flight.

By maximizing your time at the airport and in flight, you’ll save time when you get to where you’re going, allowing you to relax and explore your destination.

(Note: A special thanks to my world-traveling friend Ben. He’s been to more countries than most people and knows what he’s talking about when it comes to travel. He’s thinking of blogging. I hope this post is the tipping point, showing him that he could knock it out of the park.)

Tell us: What do you do to stay productive while flying or getting ready to fly?

photo credit: Mr. Kris

This is one of my father’s favorite sayings, and it came into play for me last week as I put closure on a frustrating event.

I have been very excited about becoming a dues paying member of an out-of-state organization that supports nonprofits. They do what they do better than anyone, and though I’m not in their state I thought being a member would bring enormous benefit to my local work. I paid my online application fee and anxiously awaited my membership packet.

It wasn’t long before I realized something was awry. I couldn’t register for their upcoming conference, so I gave my new friends a call. Alas, it appeared they were trying to figure out how to break it to me: They were planning to refund my money. Since I was not with a nonprofit organization in their state, working with me would be outside of their mission and therefore detracting from what they were set up to do.

Honestly, I was stunned. It had been too long since I had interacted with an organization that knew how to put cash aside for allegiance to purpose. Though I was disappointed, I was impressed by their creativity when they suggested I associate with one of their state’s organizations (a former employer) in order to complete a discounted conference registration.

I took my refunded membership fee and made a donation to my former employer who had offered to help me out. I also have never felt so good about paying full price for a conference.

Too many people are too quick in this economy to just accept money. If it corrupts your organizational integrity in any way, let it go. And if you find yourself with some unexpected cash this month, reach out to the nonprofit of your choice. They will be thrilled to have it, and you may find yourself thrilled to give it.