Situation · Work
“My boss denies saying things he clearly said”
What could be going on
Denies things you both saw happen: Fits exactly; check whether others in the meeting remember it as you do.
Gaslighting: Fits if it is repeated and you now doubt your own memory.
Never wrong; rewrites history: Fits if they rewrite history whenever they would otherwise be wrong.
Motivated reasoning: They may sincerely remember it their way; check whether it always favours them.
Hindsight bias: Fits if they now 'knew all along' how it would turn out.
Lies easily without discomfort: Fits if they lie about other things too, without discomfort.
Questions to carry
- Who else heard him say it the first time, the last time he denied it?
- How sure do I stay about my own memory once he denies it, and for how long?
Also said as
- my manager says he never told me that
- she rewrites what happened in meetings
- is my boss gaslighting me
- my coworker swears she never agreed to it
- boss lies about what he said
- my manager pretends conversations never happened