One of the most important lessons any leader can learn is how to recognize the lying, deceiving, hypocrites in their organization.
The problems caused by lying, deceiving, hypocrites are endless! I know because not learning how to recognize them and protect myself from their destructive tendencies early in my career caused me untold grief!
Let’s begin with some definitions, so we all know what we are talking about.
- Liars. Someone who does not tell the truth. Liars could care less about lying to you.
- Deceivers. Someone who leads you to believe something that is not true. Deceivers are manipulators. They will tell their story and weave a web of lies to get you to believe them.
- Hypocrites. Someone who says one thing and does another. They will profess beliefs or opinions they do not hold to conceal their true feelings or motives.
Leaders need to accept as a fact of life that liars lie. Liars come in all shapes and sizes, but the two most common liars in the workplace are the deceivers and hypocrites. Deceivers tell lies and half-truths. They will overstate and understate to get you to believe what they want. And, of course, hypocrites will tell you one thing and do the exact opposite. They will tell you they love your idea when they really hate it.
Solomon Warned Us to Beware of Lying, Deceiving, Hypocrites
Something about the leadership position attracts liars who attempt to influence the leader. Solomon, in his role as the king of the Israelites, was undoubtedly familiar with liars, especially deceivers and hypocrites, as he warned in Proverbs 26 saying:
23 Like a coating of silver dross on earthenware
are fervent lips with an evil heart.
24 Enemies disguise themselves with their lips,
but in their hearts they harbor deceit.
25 Though their speech is charming, do not believe them,
for seven abominations fill their hearts.
26 Their malice may be concealed by deception,
but their wickedness will be exposed in the assembly.
27 Whoever digs a pit will fall into it;
if someone rolls a stone, it will roll back on them. (Proverbs 26:23-27)
Hypocrites
Solomon first calls out the hypocrites (vv. 23-25). He says hypocrites are like an unattractive earthenware pot coated with silver to make it look good. The shiny silver hides the true character that lies underneath. This pot appears to be an attractive, genuine, quite expensive silver pot when in reality, it is not.
The hypocrite’s flattering lips hide their evil hearts. They pretend to be friends when they are really enemies.
Wise leaders recognize the hypocrite’s flattery for what it is and do not believe them. They know hypocrites have evil intentions; no matter what they say, they are not to be trusted!
Deceivers
Next, Solomon calls out the deceivers (vv. 26-27). The deceiver’s evil intentions are concealed, but eventually, they will be exposed. Solomon says, when at last their deception is uncovered, deceivers will be punished with the punishment they planned for others. They will fall into a pit they dug for someone else or be crushed by the rock they intended to use to hurt someone else!
David Kicked Lying, Deceiving, Hypocrites Out of His Court
Solomon’s father, David, also had to deal with liars in the form of hypocrites and deceivers. He was no doubt thinking of them when he said,
4 The perverse of heart shall be far from me;
I will have nothing to do with what is evil.
5 Whoever slanders their neighbor in secret,
I will put to silence;
whoever has haughty eyes and a proud heart,
I will not tolerate.
7 No one who practices deceit
will dwell in my house;
no one who speaks falsely
will stand in my presence.
8 Every morning I will put to silence
all the wicked in the land;
I will cut off every evildoer
from the city of the Lord. (Psalms 101:4-8)
Clearly, David wanted nothing to do with men with evil hearts who slandered others and were deceitful. David was constantly on the lookout for liars. He intended to silence them and cut them off so they could not interfere with his administration.
Instead, David said, he wanted faithful men to surround and minister to him.
6 My eyes will be on the faithful in the land,
that they may dwell with me;
the one whose walk is blameless
will minister to me. (Psalms 101:6)
As leaders, we must do two things. First, we must constantly be on the lookout for liars, especially the deceivers and hypocrites. When we find them, we must cast them out of our organizations. I know it seems harsh, even ruthless, but we must remove people who will destroy our organizations from the inside out.
And second, we must surround ourselves with trustworthy, Godly advisors.
Leaders who do not take this responsibility seriously will soon find themselves surrounded by men and women who flatter them and tell them what they want to hear while planning to promote their own wicked schemes.
Discussion Questions
These questions are a useful framework for guiding a thoughtful and engaging discussion about the article and how its insights and perspectives apply to our lives today.
- How can leaders recognize and protect themselves from lying, deceiving hypocrites in their organization?
- What are some common characteristics of liars, deceivers, and hypocrites in the workplace?
- How can leaders create a culture of trust and integrity in their organizations to discourage lying and deceitful behavior?
- Why is it important for leaders to be on the lookout for liars and remove them from their organizations? What are the potential consequences of not doing so?
- How can leaders surround themselves with trustworthy and Godly advisors to help them make wise decisions and avoid being influenced by liars and deceivers?
More Articles
I have written several articles on this topic. You can find them by typing “Conflict Management” in the search bar. Meanwhile, here are a few of my favorites.
- #221: Surprise! Someone Is Preparing to Lead A Rebellion In Your Organization!
- #212: Have You Worked for Either of These Kinds of Bad Bosses?
- #024: Envy + Jealousy = Anger Issues
- #015: To Forgive, Going Above and Beyond?
- #012: What to do When Facing Opposition
Join the Conversation
As always, questions and comments are welcome. Have you had to deal with liars, deceivers, or hypocrites and what impact did they have on your organization?
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Category: Skill | Conflict Management
