It seems like a no-brainer: cheating on a test or intentionally lying about a material fact in a negotiation is immoral and a fundamental violation of trust and integrity.
I was thus shocked to read that out of 95 University of Pennsylvania Wharton School students assigned an essay on how to motivate students to stop cheating, according to their professor and organizational psychologist Dr. Adam Grant in his New York Times’ article “There’s Really Only One Way to Stop Students From Cheating:”
“Hardly any students saw cheating as a violation of integrity. A majority made excuses: We’re under a lot of stress. Everyone else is doing it. We have no choice.”
[Grant even noted that] [l]ast year when I surveyed students at elite universities about their views of cheating, plenty of them admitted to doing it to get into college, and they signed the survey using their full names.”
Unfortunately, AI has made this attitude and problem worse. Grant notes that AI has made
“cheating so effortless, enticing and available that many students no longer believe it’s wrong. One Ivy League student in my survey wrote, ‘Cheating is a creative expression and a form of problem solving. If you can get around the restrictions put in place and not get caught, then good on you.’ Really? How would you feel if you found out your surgeon cheated to get into medical school – or cheated in medical school?”
Of course, cheating has been around forever and immoral cheaters without integrity will always exist. Their existence, though, obviously doesn’t make their behavior moral, ethical or effective.
But you don’t have to take my word for it. Here are three incredible negotiators who agree, each of which is excerpted here from my new book Pearls of Negotiation Wisdom: 155 Strategies for Success in Life (on pre-sale now for $10 off).
Former U.S. Sen. John McCain
“[Years ago] McCain told me your word and being trustworthy are absolutely critical to negotiation success. I wholeheartedly agree. Without credibility, anything you say and every move you make will be viewed with suspicion.
McCain then reached across the political aisle to praise Sen. Ted Kennedy’s negotiation effectiveness, which McCain attributed in part to his reputation for keeping his word. Once Kennedy gives you his word, McCain told me, he’s not going to go back on it.”
Robert Latz
“My dad practiced law for over 60 years and negotiated thousands of lawsuit settlements and deals. I learned a ton from him about negotiations. One concept he consistently emphasized — your reputation as a trustworthy and ethical negotiator will impact every negotiation in which you engage. He was right.”
Former Disney CEO and new co-owner of The Los Angeles Lakers Robert Iger
“[In relation to Disney’s multi-billion purchase of Marvel Entertainment from Ike Perlmutter, Iger indicated that] Perlmutter was a somewhat reluctant seller, though, and it took a call from [Apple’s] Steve Jobs to move it forward. Iger [in his book The Ride of a Lifetime: Lessons Learned from 15 Years as CEO of the Walt Disney Company] wrote that “Steve told [Ike] that the [Pixar- Disney] deal far exceeded his expectations, because [Iger had] lived up to [his] word and respected the [Pixar] brand and the people. Later, after [the] deal closed, Ike told [Iger] that he’d still had his doubts and the call from Steve made a big difference to him. ‘He said you were true to your word,’ Ike said.”
This deal would not have closed but for Iger’s reputation as an honest and straightforward negotiator who made and fulfilled his commitments — and had former counterparts like Steve Jobs willing to tell others this. Iger’s reputation for ethics and integrity made a multi-billion-dollar difference.”
Latz’s Lesson: Cheating does not pay off, especially in negotiations. Morality, trust, ethics, integrity and credibility will always benefit you in the end.
* Marty Latz is the founder of Latz Negotiation, a national negotiation training and consulting company that helps individuals and organizations achieve better results with best practices based on the experts’ research. He can be reached at 480.951.3222 or Marty@LatzNegotiation.com.