By Dave Bushy, PCC
“Shared falsehood, endlessly repeated, is more powerful than the truth.” Rinker Buck, “Life on the Mississippi.”
I suppose this concept started millennia ago, people sharing gossip and then repeating perceptions or thoughts that were inaccurate. We human beings seem to have been building this “skill” ever since.
Today we live in an environment that better enables, licenses and amplifies the idea of sharing falsehoods by endlessly repeating them through social media, email, texting or all the other innumerable “echo chambers” where we so often insulate ourselves. The opportunities are nearly limitless. And sadly, in this culture, we see it happen every day.
As a former executive in a large corporation, I often experienced times when stories took on a life of their own. One person’s so-called reality shared with others a number of times created a perceived reality. And so very often we were then experiencing “unreality,” completely different than what might have really happened.
Many times, in the past 12 years as a professional coach, I’ve also seen this happen with executive clients.
Researchers call shared falsehoods the “Illusory Truth Effect,” the tendency to believe false information after repeated exposure. This effect was first identified in a 1970’s study at Villanova University and Temple University.
Have you ever left a meeting at the office and had someone pull you aside to share a “secret”? Here are some examples:
- A general statement like: “The executives are all selling their stock – the company must be in trouble.”
- Sometimes it gets more personal, like: “They say he’s leaving the company – I thought you might want to know.”
- Or the intensely personal: “We all know that he’s lazy.”
- And then there are the most pernicious and hurtful comments that emerge from personal biases: “You know why she was hired,” or the sarcastic: “He must have helped fill a quota.”
And like it or not, just by listening to a repeated “truth” we become a part of those perceptions. Even innocently, far too often, without even meaning to do so, we become complicit, especially if we fail to speak up.
It is up to us to each of us to challenge assumptions, to stop the Illusory Truth Effect by leaning into, being curious about, and building awareness around any situation or so-called fact. It is up to each individual to deliberately arm ourself with useful tools.
The first step includes our initial reactions. When we hear something that might or might not be true:
- Critically inquire, using questions like:
- Why are you telling me this?
- What facts do you have?
- How did you determine this was true?
- What would you like me to do about what you’re saying?
- And then listen carefully for the response: Does the individual provide a different perspective and more detail or do they just reiterate the same statements?
- Avoid repeating what you know or suspect to be inaccurate, hurtful or untrue. Any leader can model such a behavior, essentially putting others on notice that such actions are not tolerated in the culture of the organization.
The second step is how we evaluate the reactions we experience.
- Appreciate admissions of error and bias. None of us is perfect and when challenged, critical thinkers admit that they might be wrong or have needlessly repeated an untruth. Those who willingly lie or pass on false information seldom admit they are wrong – they just change the version of the same narrative.
- Recognize “doubling-down” when you hear it. Today, there are those who keep repeating the same spiel, the same story, the same untruth and, by repeating it, they work to cement something that is either largely inaccurate or biased. It’s used in marketing and in society at large – even at the highest leadership levels.
We cannot change everyone, but we can model a behavior within our own sphere of influence. It takes courage and leadership to do so. But I am convinced that there is still plenty of courage in the world today – it just needs to be awakened in all of us.
Dave Bushy of Boston Executive Coaches – bostonexecutivecoaches.com – is a an ICF-certified coach who was trained at the Gestalt International Study Center (GISC). Dave is a former U.S. Army officer and senior airline executive who works with leaders throughout the world.
Image by Darcy Wheeler from Pixabay