//When was the last time you lied?

When was the last time you lied?

2018-09-13T15:39:14+00:00

Quality & Me

Subir shares short stories about what people do to make a difference everywhere they go. We can make huge contributions to the way we function as a society by standing out as an example within our own community: at work, at our places of worship, among our colleagues, friends, and family. All it takes is the courage to step up and being straightforward, thoughtful, accountable, and resilient.

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Books by Subir

The Power of LEO
The Ice Cream Maker
The Power of Design for Six
The Power of Six Sigma
Organization 21c

None of us grows up and then suddenly starts lying. We develop a tendency toward telling fibs – and outward lies – at early age. Study after study shows that most us have lied at some point during our lives. By the time we’re adults, many people have made an art out of avoiding the truth.

When you choose to have a caring mindset, you are making a choice to tell the truth – the opposite of lying – regardless of how painful that truth may be. You need to embrace being honest, open, and straightforward. And you need to do this in every conversation and every interaction. At the office; at home; with friends and family, as well as strangers.

You know the expression, “the truth will set you free”? It’s true. Being truthful and hones is critical when it comes to having a caring mindset. And a caring mindset is the difference between failure and success. It leads to more healthy organizations, families and communities. Lying has severe consequences. If you take credit for someone else’s work, you are lying. That lying will cause people in your organization to underperform, leave the organization, or even sabotage future projects. As you can see, it causes both physical and emotional stress, and erodes profitability.

Organizations often have a mission statement that helps to communicate their values to employees and customers. But just as often, these organizations don’t honor them. They may talk about how much they care about their employees, but then place unrealistic goals and expectations on those same employees. In other words, these organizations lie. And if you lie in your mission statement, you’ll never recover. Employees will be angry, resentful, frightened, and disappointed. They may even start lying themselves.

When was the last time you lied? Be honest about your answer!

When is the last time you said. “I don’t know”?

Being straightforward means you know when to speak up even if you don’t have the answer. When I admit I don’t know something, it doesn’t mean I can’t learn or solve a problem.  In fact, I generally work harder when I don’t know something than when I do.

How to make everyone a S.T.A.R.

One company had a return that equaled 5 times the cost of their investment in the program. Another company had a return that equaled 100 times the cost of their investment! It’s a true story. I know, because both companies were clients of my firm. Both companies got a return on their investment, but I still felt both frustrated and perplexed that one had done so much better. The reason for the difference kept puzzling me—why would one company do so much better using the same processes?

Impact of Quality of Learning

Is it culture, the weather, geography? Perhaps ignorance of what the right policies are? Simply, no. None of these factors is either definitive or destiny. Otherwise, how to explain why Botswana has become one of the fastest growing countries in the world, while other African nations, such as Zimbabwe, the Congo, and Sierra Leone, are mired in poverty and violence?

What do you do with a toothpick?

Think about the last time you picked up a piece of trash on the sidewalk, helped your neighbor without being asked, or thanked a co-worker for critical but necessary feedback. These are all small actions, but again, the sum is more powerful than the individual actions.