Why Does Truth Matter, Anyway?

We seem to be in a post-truth society. Maybe a good story is better.

Hermes Ordering Calypso to Release Odysseus by Gerard de Lairesse, 1670 (public domain - Wikimedia Commons)

“When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.” — Arthur Conan Doyle, 1890

Why should truth matter to leaders?

After all, there are legions of examples of individuals who can (and have) misled the public by spinning the facts, bamboozled investors by overplaying a hand, and duped authorities by cooking the books.

Again and again, we see examples of the market rewarding those who play fast and loose with the facts. Until it doesn’t. Theranos. WeWork. FTX.

It’s easy to construct a sexy story—to get people to believe something they already want to believe. A miracle testing process. The high value of coworking spaces. An endless supply of digital money.

But pull one thread and the entire story begins to unravel, re…