Wanting to present ourselves in the best possible light is normal.  We often go to great lengths to make ourselves look good by selectively editing information, or by manipulating or even omitting the context.  We “spin” the truth to our advantage.

It happens so often that some forms have become almost trite.  How often have you heard someone say: “I doubled sales last year” or “I finished third in the contest”?  There isn’t enough information in these statements to make sense of the value.  Saying we doubled sales may or may not be impressive: did we double them from one to two or from 5,000 to 10,000?  Big difference!  The same question applies to the contest: were we third of five or third of five hundred?

These statements are all true.  The problem is they do not convey enough information for us to make sense of them.  And yet, all too often we take these statements at face value without investigating the context.  This can cause a lot of disruption, confusion and conflict.  If we spin information too much, creating false perceptions, it destroys our integrity and puts everything we say or do into question.  It calls our integrity into question and we risk having people lost their respect for or trust in us.  There is so much spin in the political arena these days there are people whose job it is to look into the statements and provide the context so we can evaluate them.  It’s no wonder we the people have such a hard time getting behind a candidate; we simply don’t believe them anymore.

What can we do to present ourselves in the best light?  Perhaps the most important thing to remember is to manage impressions so they are accurate.  When we risk image for honesty, the honesty will enhance our credibility and image.  False impressions are bound to be discovered; they are then perceived as lies.  Lying is always going to found out sooner or later, and we don’t like feeling lied to or manipulated.  People have more respect for those who are honest and show some integrity.

There are, of course, other things we can do to present ourselves favorably.  If you’ve been reading this blog for any length of time, you already know most of the strategies: stay positive, treat others with respect, refrain from blaming, judging, name-calling and other destructive communications, and stay open to continuous learning.

If we want to be someone people want to work with and be with, we want to manage the impression we leave on others.  It’s okay to present ourselves in the best possible light so long as we are not misleading people.

Remember … it’s all in how you say it!