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我们和“滴血验癌”的女骗子有何共同点?

我们和“滴血验癌”的女骗子有何共同点?

Sabrina Horn 2021-12-05
在一时冲动之下,我们往往也会像她那样罔顾事实,不愿意直面真相。

伊丽莎白·霍尔姆斯对欺诈指控不认罪。如果罪名成立,她可能面临长达20年的监禁。图片来源:BLOOMBERG—GETTY IMAGES

关注血液检测公司Theranos的创始人伊丽莎白·霍尔姆斯正在接受的审判时,我们都愿意认为自己与她没有任何共同点。但可怕的真相是:在一时冲动之下,我们往往也会像她那样罔顾事实,不愿意直面真相。

是什么促使霍尔姆斯在那一瞬间有意识地放弃道德操守,假装一切顺意?不管你喜欢与否,我们都经历过这种情况,要么屈服于夸大、扭曲和粉饰真相的诱惑,要么在压力面前有意识地坚持下去。

如果说我们能够从霍尔姆斯的审判中获得什么教训的话,那就是要学会在那个很容易假装一切顺意的时刻,凝聚起我们的道德智慧,确保自己不会走上歧途。作为一家科技公关公司的创始人和前首席执行官,我承认我自己也面临过这些时刻,并经常就这种困境向客户提供建议。我帮助他们承认诸如产品延误和失败、销售合同可信性不够,或业务表现乏善可陈这些令人尴尬的事实。

霍尔姆斯是否承受着来自董事会的巨大压力,并且因为害怕失去资金而不敢坦陈产品开发受阻的真相?她是否受到同事和商业伙伴的影响,为了继续推进工作而歪曲事实?

不管有什么力量或什么人影响了她,最终是她自己决定粉饰一切的。

在我们的个人和职业生活中,我们每天都可能面临这些时刻,尤其是当我们处于压力之下、不知所措、尴尬、不安全或害怕的时候。比如,求职面试时在简历上撒谎,为了打动约会对象而美化自己的运动能力,为赢得投资者而夸大业绩,这样的例子不胜枚举。事实是,真相最终总会大白于天下。而一旦真相浮出水面,你就会陷入窘境,甚至更糟。这就是为什么“伪装一切,直至你取得成功”是有史以来最糟糕的商业建议。

把“假装时刻”转变为“成功时刻”的唯一方法是停顿下来,促使自己以正确的方式前进,做正确的事情,抱最好的希望,做最坏的打算。毫无疑问,诚实地面对错误和挫折总比被发现撒谎要好。假装一切顺意,并不会帮助你登上成功之巅——它只会让你坠入失败的深渊。

你需要认识到自己的真实处境,要洞察所有丑陋的真相。这本身就是一个“成功时刻”。接下来,确定你所感受到的情绪,无论它是恐惧、压力、羞耻、尴尬还是焦虑。并且把这种情绪,以及它在你身上触发的反应描述出来。

然后,你需要仔细评估是什么导致你陷入这种特定的情绪。是不是生意、声誉、地位或金钱方面的损失?如何才能解决这个问题?可能发生的最坏情况是什么?你能够想出什么B计划或替代策略来应对这种局面?你需要和谁沟通一下,以获得不一样的视角?如果所有的选项都不讨人喜欢,哪一条路径还算可取,但仍然立足于现实和真相?这条路显然不好走,但总比日后因为撒谎、欺骗或更糟的事情被当众揭穿好得多。

不管霍尔姆斯的审判持续多少天,她的判决都将取决于她在那个导致一切分崩离析的时刻的实际想法。

很有可能,你也会面临自己的“假装时刻”。你会怎么做?(财富中文网)

本文作者萨布里纳·霍恩著有《唯有直面真相,不作假,才有望获得商业成功》(Make It, Don 't Fake It: Leading With Authenticity for Real Business Success)一书。她是霍恩集团(Horn Group,现为Finn Partners旗下公司)的创始人、前首席执行官兼总裁,霍恩集团是她29岁时在硅谷创立的一家科技公关公司。

译者:任文科

关注血液检测公司Theranos的创始人伊丽莎白·霍尔姆斯正在接受的审判时,我们都愿意认为自己与她没有任何共同点。但可怕的真相是:在一时冲动之下,我们往往也会像她那样罔顾事实,不愿意直面真相。

是什么促使霍尔姆斯在那一瞬间有意识地放弃道德操守,假装一切顺意?不管你喜欢与否,我们都经历过这种情况,要么屈服于夸大、扭曲和粉饰真相的诱惑,要么在压力面前有意识地坚持下去。

如果说我们能够从霍尔姆斯的审判中获得什么教训的话,那就是要学会在那个很容易假装一切顺意的时刻,凝聚起我们的道德智慧,确保自己不会走上歧途。作为一家科技公关公司的创始人和前首席执行官,我承认我自己也面临过这些时刻,并经常就这种困境向客户提供建议。我帮助他们承认诸如产品延误和失败、销售合同可信性不够,或业务表现乏善可陈这些令人尴尬的事实。

霍尔姆斯是否承受着来自董事会的巨大压力,并且因为害怕失去资金而不敢坦陈产品开发受阻的真相?她是否受到同事和商业伙伴的影响,为了继续推进工作而歪曲事实?

不管有什么力量或什么人影响了她,最终是她自己决定粉饰一切的。

在我们的个人和职业生活中,我们每天都可能面临这些时刻,尤其是当我们处于压力之下、不知所措、尴尬、不安全或害怕的时候。比如,求职面试时在简历上撒谎,为了打动约会对象而美化自己的运动能力,为赢得投资者而夸大业绩,这样的例子不胜枚举。事实是,真相最终总会大白于天下。而一旦真相浮出水面,你就会陷入窘境,甚至更糟。这就是为什么“伪装一切,直至你取得成功”是有史以来最糟糕的商业建议。

把“假装时刻”转变为“成功时刻”的唯一方法是停顿下来,促使自己以正确的方式前进,做正确的事情,抱最好的希望,做最坏的打算。毫无疑问,诚实地面对错误和挫折总比被发现撒谎要好。假装一切顺意,并不会帮助你登上成功之巅——它只会让你坠入失败的深渊。

你需要认识到自己的真实处境,要洞察所有丑陋的真相。这本身就是一个“成功时刻”。接下来,确定你所感受到的情绪,无论它是恐惧、压力、羞耻、尴尬还是焦虑。并且把这种情绪,以及它在你身上触发的反应描述出来。

然后,你需要仔细评估是什么导致你陷入这种特定的情绪。是不是生意、声誉、地位或金钱方面的损失?如何才能解决这个问题?可能发生的最坏情况是什么?你能够想出什么B计划或替代策略来应对这种局面?你需要和谁沟通一下,以获得不一样的视角?如果所有的选项都不讨人喜欢,哪一条路径还算可取,但仍然立足于现实和真相?这条路显然不好走,但总比日后因为撒谎、欺骗或更糟的事情被当众揭穿好得多。

不管霍尔姆斯的审判持续多少天,她的判决都将取决于她在那个导致一切分崩离析的时刻的实际想法。

很有可能,你也会面临自己的“假装时刻”。你会怎么做?(财富中文网)

本文作者萨布里纳·霍恩著有《唯有直面真相,不作假,才有望获得商业成功》(Make It, Don 't Fake It: Leading With Authenticity for Real Business Success)一书。她是霍恩集团(Horn Group,现为Finn Partners旗下公司)的创始人、前首席执行官兼总裁,霍恩集团是她29岁时在硅谷创立的一家科技公关公司。

译者:任文科

As we react to the ongoing trial of Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes, we would like to think we have nothing in common with her. The frightening truth? We’re all often tempted to veer from the truth in the heat of the moment.

What caused Holmes in that one split second to consciously tip from integrity to faking it? Like it or not, we’ve all been in that situation and either gave in to the temptation to exaggerate, distort, and dress up the truth, or consciously held on to it in the face of pressure.

If there’s any lesson from the Holmes trial, it’s to learn what we can do to gather our moral wits about us in that “fake it moment” and never tip the wrong way. As a founder and former CEO of my own tech PR firm, I admit I faced those moments myself and advised clients on this dilemma regularly. I helped them own up to the truth about product delays and failures, the validity of sales contracts, or lackluster business performance.

Was Holmes under pressure in the boardroom and afraid to talk about delays in her product development for fear of losing funding? Was she influenced by her colleagues and business partners to allegedly spin the truth, just to keep moving the needle forward?

Whatever forces or people influenced her, the decision of faking it is yours alone.

Every day, we face these moments in our personal and professional lives when we are under pressure, overwhelmed, embarrassed, insecure, or afraid—from lying on one’s résumé for a job interview to embellishing one’s athleticism to impress a date, or even overstating performance to win over an investor. The fact of the matter is, the truth ultimately always comes out. And when it does, you’ll set yourself back, or worse. It’s why “fake it till you make it” is the worst business advice ever.

The only way to turn a “fake it moment” into a “make it moment” is to stop and push ourselves to move forward the right way, do the right thing, and plan for the worst while hoping for the best. No doubt, being honest about mistakes and setbacks is always better than getting caught lying. Faking it doesn’t help you make it—it actually causes you to fail.

Recognize what the absolute truth about your situation is. The whole ugly truth. That’s a “make it moment” in itself. Next, identify the emotion that you are feeling, whether it’s fear, pressure, shame, embarrassment, or anxiety. Describe it and what it’s triggering in you.

Then, assess what is causing you to feel that particular emotion. Is it loss of business, reputation, stature, money? What would it take to resolve it? What’s the worst that could happen? What plan B or alternative strategies could you devise to deal with the situation? Who do you need to talk with to get a different perspective? If none of your options are favorable, what is the least unfavorable path that is still grounded in reality and the truth? This is the harder path, but it’s better than getting exposed later for lying, deceiving, or worse.

No matter how many days the Holmes trial lasts, her verdict will be decided by what went on in her head at that one moment that caused everything to unravel.

More likely than not, you’ll face your own “fake it moment” this week. What will you do?

Sabrina Horn is the author of Make It, Don’t Fake It: Leading With Authenticity for Real Business Success and the founder, former CEO, and president of Horn Group (now part of Finn Partners), the tech communications agency she founded in Silicon Valley at age 29.

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