Honesty, the Best Policy

In my town, the police department decided to place a squad car in the median, manned with a stuffed dummy—wire-rimmed sunglasses and all—to try to deter drivers from speeding. We all fall for it the first couple times we drive by, braking as we pass, even if we’re not speeding.

But when the car sits in the same spot for a few days, or when it reappears in a similar spot a couple weeks later, we spot the hoax immediately. I don’t tap my brakes when I know they’re trying to pull a fast one on me. In fact, I actually feel the urge to speed UP.

That’s what dishonesty does to people on the receiving end. It changes the way they behave, and not in the way the deception intended.

You can fool people for a short time, even with the best intentions. But eventually, your mask will be discovered. You’ll lose the audience you worked hard to gain, and they’ll behave in the opposite way you want them to.