Natural life is cyclical. Just as spring gives way to summer and night to day, human behaviour follows recurring patterns. I’ve long believed that when a certain type of conduct has become sufficiently pervasive for our collective consciousness to accept it as the norm, it has probably reached the top of its cycle and is about to head into retreat. The challenge is to identify these cyclical peaks as they occur.

I’m going to stick my neck out, and point to one that is long overdue for a downward trajectory: the brazen dishonesty of our elected leaders – regardless of their affiliations. We readily recall Bill Clinton’s many peccadilloes, all of which he vehemently denied despite the overwhelming evidence against him. Or his successor’s determination to rid the world of a tyrant’s weapons of mass of destruction, when it turned out those weapons were, in fact, ‘discovered’ for the sole purpose of manufacturing consent. Does this mendacity lead to public disgrace, immediate resignation or impeachment? Heck no, we shrug and accept it as the norm. But if my instincts are correct, perhaps we won’t for much longer.

What, you may wonder, has this got to do with communication? A lot, as it happens. In a world where ‘spin’ and dissembling are commonplace, honesty, integrity and respect for the audience stand out like roses in a thicket of brambles. As legendary adman Bill Bernbach once put it, “I’ve a discovered a great new gimmick – just tell the truth.”