Brian Williams, one of the top news anchors of the past 25 years, made two major errors that got him in a lot of trouble. If you are unfamiliar with the story, you can read about it in this New Yorker article.
Mistake #1: Mr. Williams stretched the truth about an event in Iraq in 2003. It appears that he had done it numerous times over the past 10+ years. New stories are coming out that he may have embellished other stories as well.
Mistake #2: After being busted, he came up with an excuse – that a “fog of memory” had caused him to forget what had actually happened.
Lessons learned for the rest of us:
Lesson #1: In this networked and socially-connected world, there are too many eyes and ears out there who know the truth about the things that we’ve done (and not done). If you try to stretch the truth about your accomplishments – on a resume, in an interview, or in a business/social setting – there are too many ways for facts to be checked. You may think you got away with a little white lie, but you will be caught, and there will be consequences.
Actionable Idea #1: Stick to the facts. If you don’t, you’re gonna get caught.
Lesson #2: If you do get caught, don’t come up with a lame excuse. Oftentimes, the excuse is worse than the lie itself. If you make a mistake (and we ALL make mistakes), own up to it, apologize, and learn from it. You’ll get infinitely more respect from the harmed parties if you take responsibility for your actions, and your mistakes will be forgotten much faster.
Actionable Idea #2: If you screw up, own it.
Pretty simple ideas in this post, but let’s take the opportunity to learn from the mistakes that other, more public figures, make.
Caricature by DonkeyHotey, license: CC BY 2.0.
