Suppose you apply for your dream job. You buff your resum\u00e9 to a shine. In the job
\ninterview, you highlight your achievements and abilities and gloss over weak
\npoints and setbacks. When they ask if you could boost sales by 30% while cutting
\ncosts by 30%, you reply in a calm voice: \u2018Consider it done.\u2019 Even though you are
\ntrembling inside and racking your brain about how the hell you are going to pull
\nthat off, you do and say whatever is necessary to get the job. You concentrate on
\nwowing the interviewers; the details will follow. You know that if you give even
\nsemi-realistic answers, you\u2019ll put yourself out of the race.,<\/p>\n
Imagine you are a journalist and have a great idea for a book. The issue is on
\neveryone\u2019s lips. You find a publisher who is willing to pay a nice advance.
\nHowever, he needs to know your timeline. He removes his glasses and looks at
\nyou: \u2018When can I expect the manuscript? Can you have it ready in six months?\u2019
\nYou gulp. You\u2019ve never written a book in under three years. Your answer:
\n\u2018Consider it done.\u2019 Of course you don\u2019t want to lie, but you know that you won\u2019t
\nget the advance if you tell the truth. Once the contract is signed and the money is
\nnestling in your bank account, you can always keep the publisher at bay for a
\nwhile. You\u2019re a writer; you\u2019re great at making up stories!<\/p>\n
The official term for such behaviour is strategic misrepresentation: the more at
\nstake, the more exaggerated your assertions become. Strategic
\nmisrepresentation does not work everywhere. If your ophthalmologist promises
\nfive times in a row to give you perfect vision, but after each procedure you see
\nworse than before, you will stop taking him seriously at some point. However,
\nwhen unique attempts are involved, strategic misrepresentation is worth a try \u2013 in
\ninterviews, for example, as we saw above. A single company isn\u2019t going to hire
\nyou several times. It\u2019s either a yes or no.<\/p>\n
Most vulnerable to strategic misrepresentation are mega-projects, where A)
\naccountability is diffuse (for example, if the government that commissioned the
\nproject is no longer in power), B) many businesses are involved, leading to
\nmutual finger-pointing, or C) the end date is a few years down the road.
\nNo one knows more about large-scale projects than Oxford professor Bent
\nFlyvbjerg. Why are cost and schedule overruns so frequent? Because it is not the
\nbest offer overall that wins; it is whichever one looks best on paper. Flyvbjerg
\ncalls this \u2018reverse Darwinism\u2019: whoever produces the most hot air will be
\nrewarded with the project. However, is strategic misrepresentation simply brazen
\ndeceit? Yes and no. Are women who wear make-up frauds? Are men who lease
\nPorsches to signal financial prowess liars? Yes and no. Objectively they are, but
\nthe deceit is socially acceptable, so we don\u2019t get worked up about it. The same
\ncounts for strategic misrepresentation.
\nIn many cases, strategic misrepresentation is harmless. However, for the things
\nthat matter, such as your health or future employees, you must be on your guard.<\/p>\n
So, if you are dealing with a person (a first-rate candidate, an author or an
\nophthalmologist), don\u2019t go by what they claim; look at their past performance.
\nWhen it comes to projects, consider the timeline, benefits and costs of similar
\nprojects, and grill anyone whose proposals are much more optimistic. Ask an
\naccountant to pick apart the plans mercilessly. Add a clause into the contract that
\nstipulates harsh financial penalties for cost and schedule overruns. And, as an
\nadded safety measure, have this money transferred to a secure escrow account.<\/p>\n
The Art of Thinking Clearly<\/strong><\/em> Suppose you apply for your dream job. You buff your resum\u00e9 to a shine. In the job interview, you highlight your achievements and abilities and gloss over weak points and setbacks. 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You buff your resum\u00e9 to a shine. In the job interview, you highlight your achievements and abilities and gloss over weak points and setbacks. 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\nRolph Dobelli<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"