You can't handle the truth - or can you?

I drummed it into my son.  Tell me the truth.  Sure, you'll get punished if you've done wrong, but trying to hide it will only make it worse.  Life will punish you if you lie.
So I found ways to reward him for the courage of owning up while punishing him for doing whatever the deadly deed was at the sweet age of 5.
I still think that's valid.  The truth is so hard to tell sometimes.  But not telling it always works out so much harder in the long run.  Believe me, I know.  And I guarantee you do too.
Why is it so socially acceptable to be nice to people we don't like?  To pretend about anything?  Why was there actually a funny movie (sorry, supposedly funny) about someone who told the truth all the time, and got into trouble?
I watched Fair Game yesterday.  Good movie.  It certainly made me think.
Every sales development workshop I have ever facilitated, had honesty emerge as a primary preferred value.  Every leadership program has had participants vibrantly engaged in discussions about integrity and authentic alignment.
So why are lies so generally embraced as being socially or commercially necessary?  What are we afraid of?  How does this happen??!!

the Leadership Imperative

I'm wondering whether you have had a slack time in your business or team - where you've really been pushed to improve the outcomes and you just can't figure out what to do next.
I have.  Hate to confess it, but I guess I'm human.  The last year or so has been really tough for me at times - figuring out how best to help people on a tight budget with their people problems or new business strategies.  And figuring out how best to position my own business so I can be easily found to help them!  Which way to go?  When?  How?  How much to invest in it?
I found myself looking at sales strategies, staffing, branding, marketing, social media.  I got some fabulous help from a business coach.  Here's what I found.
The answer is always leadership.  The questions were  'Where are  you heading?  What are you trying to accomplish?  Why?  Is that still valid?  Does everyone understand it and do you have universal buy-in?  Leadership's about the horizon.  Only when the vision and purpose are clear does the bottom line become meaningful.  Sounds like text-book jargon, I know - but it actually works in real life.  I'm proof of it.  Once I know where I'm going and why, then I can take others with me to make it happen, and manage the bottom-line to make sure the results are worthwhile and in alignment.  Without that clear sense of purpose and direction, I'm running round in circles.
I've been there and done that, have you?  Was it costly?