My supervisor told me to "fake it till you make it" and I just got caught

Last Wednesday I was on a sales call with a potential client and my boss had told me to just bluff my way through any technical questions about our product. I don't know much about the actual software specs, so I made up some numbers about processing speed. The client had a friend who worked at our competitor and knew I was lying on the spot. She called me out in front of my whole team during a Zoom meeting. Felt like a total idiot. Now I'm stuck here for another six months because I need the insurance for my kid's braces. Has anyone else had a manager push them to lie and then throw you under the bus when it backfired?

2 comments

2 Comments

thea1439d agoMost Upvoted

Thats a rough spot to be in, and honestly your manager sounds like they set you up to fail. Fake it till you make it is for building confidence, not for lying about product specs. Your boss should have backed you up or given you real training instead of throwing you under the bus. The client was right to call out the lie, but the real blame belongs to the person who told you to lie in the first place. Six months feels like forever, but you can use that time to get your kid the braces they need and maybe look for a new job quietly on the side. HR might be worth a talk if you think they would take your side over your manager's.

nora18410d ago

Wait, did your boss actually back you up after the call, or did they just let you hang there? That's seriously messed up. You were just following orders and your manager should have had your back, especially since they told you to lie in the first place. The whole "fake it till you make it" thing works for confidence, not for straight up making up numbers. That client had every right to call you out, but your boss put you in that position. Six months feels like forever, but maybe you can push for some actual training so you never get caught like that again. Have you talked to HR about what happened?