The Yellowstone Syndrome
Stop lying to me.
I don’t want to sit through another all-hands meeting where leadership preaches about “authenticity in the workplace.” But I do want the most basic social contracts restored. Everyday deception in business has crossed from occasional tactic into cultural default.
Three things happened recently that proved trust is officially a dying metric:
The equestrian buyers. We’re selling our home with nearly fifteen acres. An equestrian family loved it but hesitated and feared it wasn’t enough acreage to ride their horses. My husband offered to let them trailer their horses over to “test-drive” the property. Ride the land and spend part of the day in our resort-style pool. Their broker embarrassingly confessed: they don’t own horses, and they don’t even know how to ride—yet. We have since learned real estate brokers call this The Yellowstone Syndrome.
The radio sales pitch. I was buying local terrestrial radio for a project. The seller insisted he could track every single listener and report the exact data back. You and I both know that’s impossible. It’s not “optimistic positioning.” It was a fantasy he hoped I wouldn’t question.
The stereo repair. Two weeks ago, we sent our whole-home stereo in for circuit-board repairs. Having lost faith in service providers, we put tiny pieces of black tape over the casing seams before shipping it off. It came back with a document assuring us it was “repaired.” The tape was untouched. The display still flickers. They charged us, shipped it back, and hoped we wouldn’t notice.
I’m done pretending these are just minor exaggerations or normal sales tactics.
They are lies. Small, convenient ones people tell because they assume you won’t notice, or won’t care enough to call them out.
Clarity and honesty are not soft skills. They are the bare minimum. If you can’t tell the truth about what you can actually deliver, what you actually need, or what you actually did, the rest of the conversation is just bullsh*t.
This is a massive opportunity. Amazingly, the truth has become a competitive advantage.
There are unspoken social contracts we share: Use your manners. Stop lying. Start delivering.
Stop talking about “authenticity.” Just be authentic.
