Here is another valuable Management Tip of the Day from Harvard Business Review. To sign up for a free subscription to any/all HBR newsletters, please click here.

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Catching your boss in a lie can be incredibly upsetting and hurtful. If you decide to call out your boss (after carefully weighing the potential consequences), be sure to give them the opportunity to save face.

o Avoid labeling the deceit as such, and don’t be accusatory. Be curious and accept that you might learn something that you didn’t know.

o Use language such as “I might be seeing this the wrong way” or “I understand that there may have been circumstances that prevented you from sharing all the details with me.”

o Ask for an explanation of the recent events to see whether you perceived them accurately. Then listen carefully.

You have to decide how hard to push, because while having a boss who lies to you is not okay, losing your job over a mistruth may not be worth it.

Adapted from “What to Do If You Catch Your Boss in a Lie,” by Pamela Meyer

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