From entrepreneurs to entertainers, the ironclad rule for business achievement has long been faking it until you’re making it. In a new book that is part memoir and part business playbook, Sabrina Horn turns the adage upside down. “Make it, don’t fake it,” Horn counsels.
A guide to authenticity in communications, Horn’s book lays out the “Spectrum of Lies,” from “Useful and Harmless” to “Gaslighting,” then builds a case for getting your story straight and sticking to it.
“You cannot build a sustainable anything – a sustainable business or relationship or marriage – based on lies. You have to have a basis for integrity and the truth.
“The issue is that the truth builds trust, and trust is the essence of every enduring brand. If you tell the truth, you learn to trust it and you deliver a consistent customer experience. You break that trust when you either veer from your core values or you slipped up and maybe you weren’t telling exactly the truth or left some facts out.
Sabrina Horn founded Horn Group, a public relations firm that for a quarter century, advised thousands of executives and their companies—from the hottest startups to the Fortune 500. She was one of only a few female CEOs in Silicon Valley in the early 1990s.
In 2015, Horn oversaw her firm’s successful acquisition by Finn Partners, a global marketing company. Today, Horn is CEO of HORN Strategy, LLC, a consultancy focused on helping entrepreneurs and CEOs navigate the early stages of their businesses.