That definitely works…

I read about my dream job on the Internet – what to do? I apply, polish my CV to a high gloss. In the interview, I eloquently sell my successes and skills and disregard the less advantageous ones. Asked if I would be able to increase online sales by 30% and at the same time reduce costs by 30%, I hear myself reply in a calm voice “you can assume that”. Even when I’m shaking inside and wondering how the hell this is going to work, I do everything I can to get the job, because: first the job, then the details. And I know: with a reasonably realistic answer I’m out of the running. Once I have my employment contract in the bag, the advance is in my imaginary bank account and I can still keep my new boss in line for a while if necessary.

This behaviour is called strategic misrepresentation. The more at stake, the more exaggerated it becomes. I often experience this fictitious example figuratively in reality when my counterpart tries to implicitly convey the views of economic Darvinism to me once again in tenders. For this game to work, the strategic misrepresentation must be associated with uniqueness. Who would buy twice the sports car advertised as perfect when in reality it is simply bad? On the other hand, once I am set, I do not have such problems (at first).

The most susceptible to strategic misrepresentation are large projects where no one is really in charge. Projects where many companies are involved – and can blame each other. Projects where the date of completion is not expected for a few years at the earliest – who then knows exactly why there was a cost and schedule overrun? If it is not the best project that is financed, but the one that looks best on paper, then we are talking about reverse Darwinism: whoever produces the most hot air is rewarded with the project. But are such strategic misrepresentations brazen lies? Are women who put on powder lying? Are men lying who lease Aston Martins to signal financial potency? Sure! they will say. But too often we systematically overlook these lies. In many cases the strategic misrepresentation is harmless, in others it is not.

So when you are dealing with one of those personalities with the winning blendamed smile again, personalities who virtually “misstate” you into the ground – pay attention not only to what your interlocutor says, but what he has actually accomplished in the past. When it comes to projects: look at the duration, actual benefits and costs of comparable projects. And ask them to justify why the present plan is so much more optimistic. And if it’s not your new employee, include a clause in the contract that provides for stiff fines in case of cost or deadline overruns. But never forget that even then, sometimes the greatest danger simply comes from within…