Spin Doctor

The art of Spin Dr’ing has grown and sadly it has a great deal of negative association with it nowadays, ranging from political sleaze to blatant lying. This is not new, nor is it restricted to particular parts of the world or population – it’s just propaganda – stories based on some truth, half truth or no truth at all. Governments and leaders have for centuries embellished the truth about wars and battles, hidden the facts that would potentially damage morale and the backing for a particular action.

We’ve all seen the “make a million dollars in your sleep” adverts where you just need to follow this simple formula to get rich quick. Recently I was talking with a lady who lived next door to an individual that promoted one of these particular schemes, all of the photos with the Ferrari and other such cars were blatantly staged.  The vehicles were hired for the morning, photos taken in flattering locations and then returned to the showroom UNDRIVEN OR OWNED. Ethical, no, dishonest, yes, Spin, absolutely, motives, very dubious.How is this story relevant to you and your business? Simply put there are two main tracks of propaganda that you work with every day. The stories you tell your clients, staff, colleagues and business community around you and then there is the propaganda you feed yourself!Many coaches, consultants and trainers firmly support the mantra “fake it ’til you make it” – this not something I have ever been comfortable doing. Yes we all portray ourselves in the best light we can (most of the time) but that whole approach can flirt too closely with the negative story described above. This all comes down to self-belief, without self-belief in who or what you are, taking action, making decisions and being the best that you can be will always be a challenge.I have repeatedly shouted from the rooftops that you can’t do this on your own, you can’t run a business in isolation, create a charity without allies or climb a mountain without the right equipment. The morale of an individual or a business has a massive impact on their performance and productivity. It’s no surprise that there are medical studies directly linking the frightening statistics that 1 in 3 people will suffer from depression at one time or another with an individual’s personal and professional ability to perform.What is there to do then – is Spin wrong, is telling ourselves stories wrong? Clearly the answer is no. The challenge has to be to focus on the right message and stories that sit comfortably with you. When coaching people with speaking skills I regularly talk about that negative voice in your head that feeds you horror stories before you perform. The skill here is to replay stories with a positive outcome, a warm and fuzzy feeling or simple successes that put you in a positive state of mind.

So yes, Spin is good when used for good. The key word here is intent – if your intent is honest and true then spin away. If your gut feel is not quite sure then ask yourself this question, “Would I like to be judged by another as to the integrity of this course of action?” If not, then find another route.