Most of us have told white lies, those well-intentioned, convenient falsities that are designed to protect someone else’s feelings. The term itself has been around for more than 600 years, so it’s clearly a useful strategy. There’s even advice on what white lies it might be good to tell at work – you don’t have to say the memo is “wretched” instead of giving more constructive feedback, for example. But telling white lies isn’t always the best strategy.
New research suggests how white lies might actually be one reason that women get stuck in the management promotion pipeline and so are underrepresented in leadership.
Citation
Naomi R. Cahn, New Study Shows How White Lies Can Hurt Women at Work, Forbes (May 24, 2020).
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