ABSTRACT

Most days of your life you are deceived. Think about it ! No, please, really think about it. Take it on board at a conscious level: look upwards and to your left.1 Deception is a really bad scene.

The cheque is in the post

The fact is that most people would prefer to be deceived than be perceived as being distrustful

In the majority of cases, the lies you are told are insignifi cant, but sometimes they have very serious consequences. In his book Rogue Trader, Nicholas Leeson said:

You got out of bed, read lots of lies in the newspaper; watched the breakfast show, with people pretending to be happy early in the morning; walked to the station with your neighbour who told you he had just been promoted, when you know he had been fi red; caught the train, but could not get a fi rst-class seat because the compartments were full of fare dodgers; came into the offi ce, spoke to your colleagues who said your new employee was doing fi ne, when you know he is not; received a call from Bill Smith saying that he could not come to work today as he was ill; attended meetings; approved a bunch of purchase invoices for payment; signed a few

expense statements, some of which looked a bit dodgy; telephoned a customer who promised you the cheque was in the post; called your banker, but his PA told you he was in a meeting and would call you back; had lunch with a job candidate and then lost to him at golf because he cheated. You then returned home; spoke to the kids, who told you they had no homework and were going to a disco; watched television, read your emails and responded to them and then clambered into bed, pretending you had a bad migraine.