LIAR, LIAR PANTS ON FIRE

“I’m not upset that you lied. I’m upset that from now on I can’t believe you.” – Friedrich Nietzsche

I wish today's politicans and leaders would just tell the truth. Maybe that's where the problems began? It's okay to give an opinion that is open to challenge but it's not okay to outright lie on a public platform. That's especially so when the lies are about another person.

I'd like to think that I've developed a very thick skin in my 71 years on this planet and 55 years in Freight Forwarding and Recruiting. However, there are times when lies and liars need to be exposed and the truth needs to be told.

This week, I posted on LinkedIn asking why former employees of a certain company often put ex (company name) at the top of their profile? I found it particularly interesting that an ex-employee of that company had it on their profile even though they sued them after they were released from the company.

A person who was included in that group assumed I was talking just about them so they posted this on my message thread:

"All ex-(company name) are proud of our contribution we made by pushing the boundaries in the industry and the PhD in business that we all felt like we were earning as we faced the challenges of building a business. Working for an organization like (company name) is a once in a lifetime opportunity to learn and grow.

I guess my question to Bill would be why would someone continue to beg to recruit and train at the original Phoenix International after he was fired by the founder and escorted out of the building?

If anyone wants to benefit from the great experience and learnings from (company name) I received, visit my advisory website at (name of the individual's new consulting firm website)"

I could have ignored the message or deleted it but this was a complete lie that called my honesty, intgrity and character into question. Therefore, I responded as follows:

"I RESIGNED from the REAL Phoenix International in 1994. I was asked to stay on for a period of time and then brought back as a paid consultant some months later. The reason the REAL Phoenix International used my consulting, recruiting and training services can be found in an unsolicited testimony from the founder of the REAL Phoenix International - Bill McInerney - in an email to the CEO of another Global Forwarder:

"For all practical purposes, Bill invented the Freight Forwarder recruiting business. He was our Vice President and General Manager for almost 10 years and had many years of experience before joining us. He is a freight forwarder first and then a recruiter and trainer. He has either directly hired or placed 90% of our management team from Supervisors to Vice Presidents. I give him a significant part of the credit for our success."

How likely are those words to have been written by the man you claim "fired" me and "escorted me out of the building?" I didn't "beg" them to do business with me. They did business with me because they had first-hand experience of my recruiting, training and developing expertise. They did business with me because I knew the company inside-out and had been one of its primary builders during my time there. I had helped shape their culture.

The response from the individual was "Cute revisionist story. Best wishes."

No apology. No admission of the lies. Nothing. Just further fuel on the fire by calling my response a "cute revisionist story."

In a private message, I gave the individual Bill McInerney's personal mobile number and suggested they call him to confirm the truth. That offer was declined.

It's not okay to lie. It's not okay to attempt to assassinate someone's character and reputation just because they asked a legitimate question. If I were litigious, like the individual in question, I could go after them but that's simply not me. I'm just someone who is pro-truth and who doesn't use the excuse that "everyone else is doing it" to justify doing it.

If anyone is looking for a "business consultant" who clearly is not an advocate of truth and who thinks the experience of working for a company who hasn't made a profit in their 10-year history is a PhD, I'll be happy to give you their contact details.