If you've ever been tempted to gild the lily when it comes to stating your achievements and capabilities - 'cos everyone does it right? - take a minute to read Hannah's wise advice. There's a world of difference between selling yourself short through a lack of confidence, and selling yourself long because of hubris.

Should you 'fake it till you make it?' It's a question I'm often asked as a reputation adviser, particularly by business owners and women wanting to 'get ahead' and create a competitive advantage in some way.

In my experience, there seems to be an increasingly commonly held view that 'faking it till you make it' is a harmless way of boosting self-confidence and self-esteem, and opening doors that may otherwise stay firmly shut if we were more 'honest' or less self-promoting.

Well meaning friends and advisors encourage us by saying "don't be held back by personal fears and doubts. Fake it till you make it, and once you're up and running / got the job / proven you can do it - you'll be fine."

For many of us, the temptation to 'fake it till you make it' is advice we take. You may have faked it yourself in the past, or know of others who have done so, and come up smelling of roses. It didn't seem to do you, them, or anyone else any harm. In fact, proving to ourselves, and others, that we're worth taking a punt on, or investing in, might have been one of the most positive things we've done.

The Risks

However, the reality is few of us would want to be known as a cheat, fraud or imposter, which is what Dictionary.com defines a 'fake' as, and even fewer of us want to deal with or be associated with someone deemed to be a fake. 'Faking it till you make it' might seem harmless enough, but it can be extremely risky and create enormous reputational damage. The moment doubt is raised, it's extremely difficult to remove.

Philosopher Joseph Hall gave wise advice indeed when he said, around 200 years ago:

A reputation, once broken, may possibly be repaired, but the world will always keep its eyes on the spot where the crack was.

If someone feels they've been deceived, the doubts that are raised about a person's ethics, honesty and integrity can linger for decades and stop a glittering career, friendship or relationship in its tracks.

Feet of Clay

Many of us will remember John Davy - the former CEO of Maori TV - not for his technical abilities, but for the sham qualifications that proved to be entirely imaginary on his CV. Likewise, Mary-Anne Thompson's fall from grace had little to do with her managerial or leadership skills and everything to do with her misrepresentation of educational achievement. The self-inflicted damage to both their careers from their failure to be truthful about their qualifications and achievements will last for years.

The fact that they didn't receive a final certificate of achievement is almost irrelevant in the scheme of things. What's hugely important is the fact that they deliberately chose to mislead a potential employer and others to gain a material advantage. They acted dishonestly for personal gain.

Doubts are raised and we ask ourselves 'if they demonstrate this level of unethical and deceitful behaviour, what else might they do? What else may not be real?'

Still, in spite of the risks, it can extremely tempting to 'embellish the truth' and talk ourselves up in a way that's not entirely accurate in an effort to give ourselves a competitive edge.

Caveat emptor

UK research in 2007 found 43 percent of employers regularly failed to check not only a candidate's qualifications, but also personal and professional references. It seems they were willing to accept the information put in front of them at face-value rather than follow-up and check the validity of claims made. My guess, too, is that the number of employers that fail to check claims that are made is probably higher, but firms that don't do the checks are less likely to report the fact that they don't.

Confidence with credibility

So should you 'fake it till you make it'? In my opinion - No - especially if faking it means you'll be out of your depth, and unable to meet the expectations other people have of you.

Of course, presenting yourself in the best light possible - without lying or deceiving - is entirely appropriate, and something we should all do with integrity. Talking ourselves up, truthfully, can make us more appealing and give us a truly competitive edge.

The trick is in understanding how to do this without feeling, or being, a fraud. Presenting yourself in a way that's honourable and not misleading will help you win friends and influence people. It'll also help you sleep well at night without stressing about whether you could be exposed as a fraud at any time.

Six steps

Trustworthiness is one of the biggest reputation-enhancers there is. So how can you build trust, and earn respect, without faking it?

• Avoid making false or misleading claims about your achievements, qualifications or experience. It's very easy for this type of information to be checked-out, so make sure the claims you make stack-up.
• Make sure all information you provide is accurate. Being vague or inaccurate when stating start and finish dates, position titles, clients you've worked with and so on, will raise doubts about whether you've been entirely accurate around other information provided.
• Always give credit where credit's due. Acknowledge the contribution and support of others where appropriate. Not only will it reduce the risk of you ever being challenged about other peoples' contribution, it will also enhance your reputation for being gracious.
• Avoid making statements or claims you know you're unlikely to be able to deliver on. By all means be optimistic without being deceitful. Honesty is almost always the best policy.
• If you discover claims are being made about you that aren't true - even if those claims are largely positive - try and set the record straight as quickly as possible. Your integrity and reputation are both on the line.
• Remember: over-promising and under-delivering is one of the biggest reputation damagers there is. Failing to meet expectations - especially expectations you may have helped raise - makes it significantly harder for you to impress in the future.

Faking it can lead to a tangled web of lies and deceit. It can lead to damaged relationships, missed opportunities and career-limiting decisions made about you that could take years to recover from.

Being sure in yourself that you will be able to deliver on the claims you make is one of the biggest confidence-boosters there is. And when you're sure you can deliver, you won't be faking anything.

 

Acknowledgement

Hannah Samuel is a specialist reputation advisor, author and professional speaker. She is a regular columnist for several national New Zealand magazines and comments on issues around reputation, trust and integrity on her blog: www.TrustBite.com. Find Hannah on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Reputationz and on the web at www.hannahsamuel.com