In business there is probably a very thin line between ardent promotion and intellectual dishonesty
It is fun listening to children speak, especially those primary scholars. Naive, aren’t they? Sometimes I beg to differ because their naivety gets overwhelmed by dishonesty. Surprised, are you? You would definitely have encountered children making claims that are not completely true. Ask a kid, he for sure will pledge that he is one of the top three in his class. By and large, it will turn out to be fallacious; especially so when their parents encourage them in passing on soft lies.
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| Dr Hrishikesh Damle |
Take this, for instance. It was the club day. Men and women had gathered in bright colors accompanied by their children. There were formal and informal introductions. While friends and spouses were introduced with single lines, everyone made sure that they introduced their children elaborately. One of the kids was introduced as a great sports person who had represented a state in a sport. Everyone was congratulating the boy and wishing that he would scale greater heights.
Being a sports buff, I inquisitively started exploring a bit more. I could eventually make out that he had participated in state-level competitions. Representing a state is far more different than participating in a state-level competition.
Intellectual dishonesty, soft lies, rhetoric, and self-deception are seen everywhere in day to day life. Without getting into definitions, we can explore the world of discourses, arguments, point of views, and pretence, which are deliberated contrary to conscience.
It may be a part of the profession for an advocate to argue in favor of his client and withhold contrary information in order to put forth a perspective and convince the jury. When a politician speaks to justify the stand his party has taken, it is considered as an oration. Perhaps, unless one masters this art, one cannot qualify to be a spokesperson!
An oration is a dangerous potion when mixed with intellectual dishonesty. We find it everywhere in the world. Though salesmen probably are the easiest prey to be pointed at, one can also find them among environmentalist, social workers, economists, politicians, and common folk. Quite often than not, they would have made their living and earnings advocating a view point from which it is difficult to escape for two reasons. First of all, their business model will collapse leading to misery in life. Secondly, not many people would be ready to publicly accept that their stand regarding an issue was wrong.
In business, there is probably a very thin line between ardent promotion and intellectual dishonesty. Recently, I visited an outlet looking for a particular model of bicycle, which was out of stock. On inquiring, the shopkeeper told me that his is the biggest outlet in the area and no other place can have one. He advised me to pay a 50% advance and fetch it next week. As I drove away, to my dismay, there was a huge outlet, probably 10 times bigger, that had several pieces of the model I was looking for. Was the shopkeeper a good salesman or intellectually dishonest?
The conscious omission of the truth known or believed to be relevant in a particular context also amounts for intellectual dishonesty. If we consider it, maybe several achievements, certifications, and standings mentioned on a CV also qualify to be intellectually dishonest.
Suspicion towards intellectual dishonesty is more likely if the knowledge gap between the seller and buyer is high. The best example is none other than the medical profession. Every decision by a doctor incurring a substantial expenditure is viewed with suspicion. That’s not without prior precedence. The variability of individuals and their pathological conditions add up to the confusion.
In fact, intellectual dishonesty is spread across all professions. Many a times, stories are told purely for the sake of entertainment. Haven’t you heard of similar stories happening to your friend’s friends several times? Here is one. One of the Indian politicians was visiting a western country for a conference. Before the end of the morning session, there was a special announcement that it was the politician’s birthday that day. A candlelit cake arrived at the scene. As the Indian politician bent down to blow the candles, someone from the backseat shouted, “Stop, this is not your culture. You don’t celebrate your birthday holding the knife in hand and blowing the light away. In your culture, you light the lamp on auspicious day!” The Indian politician thanked him and lit the lamp and his birthday was celebrated. I have heard this story at least 10 times during speeches by various different politicians who claimed that it had happened to them.
Applying intellectual dishonesty could be a very delicate affair in the ad industry; unless we ward it off as an art form. Without hyperboles and exaggerations all ads will probably turn out to be devoid of fizz. Though the saying goes that exceptions are not examples, in the press every second example sighted is an exception. These exceptional examples are extremely appealing and sticky. They convince and sell the advocated idea very efficiently. How many times have you seen politicians blocking the road of development for the sake of poor and downtrodden? I suspect those bigmouthed representatives of nongovernment organizations also sometimes advocate a point of view for their personal benefit rather than the poor. Environmentalist, economists, and intellectual thinkers rarely give even the slightest benefit of doubt to contrarian views.
Denial is the other form of intellectual dishonesty. It is common to accept the progress of a competitor and decline the unfavorable news about one’s own company. If you get to meet an aggressive entrepreneur considering a new project that you feel is nonviable, it will be difficult for you to convince him. This is particularly true about those who are persuing a project with passion that is close to their heart. Similarly, a religiously rigorous person has a tendency of denial towards news that is contrary to his or her belief. Convictions that are strongly bonded with emotions can make one blinded to facts.
Exceptions to this behavior are not uncommon. Most of the successful leaders, in fact, do not succumb to intellectual dishonesty. I think it is an important virtue that every entrepreneur needs to inculcate in order to harness respect for self and value for their words. One can be noncommittal about an issue when it is politically incorrect or when the situation does not permit one to speak out the facts, rather than committing against conscience. Shimon Peres, president of Israel, in an interview was seen appreciating the intelligence and the standpoint of his rival Netanyahu, in an interview to BBC. But, unfortunately, all over the world, parliamentary system of democracy is structured to find solace in blaming the opposite party for every action of theirs. Are businesses also structured to some extent in promoting the benefits while concealing the deficits? Though one can argue that the market will decide and promote a product that has an advantage over the other, the marketing muscle can eclipse the same. But it may be difficult to put a system in place to advocate a product with good features and benefits, and, hence, it is better left to the wisdom of entrepreneurs to embrace the best tactics of promotion. Practicing strict abeyance from intellectual dishonesty will definitely pay rewards in personal growth and respect for your business.
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Dr Hrishikesh Damle is a first generation entrepreneur. He is CEO of Atrimed, a pharmaceutical company.
To write to the author, please send an email to dare@cybermedia.co.in with the subject line 'Dr. Hrishikesh Damle'.
Disclaimer: The views expressed here are that of the author and do not represent the magazine's.
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