EDIT: Just to be clear, what I mean by "intentionally misleading" is more like hyperbole than like lying. Steve Jobs claiming the "best phone in the world" is hyperbole. Bernie Madoff claiming the "smoothest returns in the world" is lying.
EDIT: Just to be clear, what I mean by "intentionally misleading" is more like hyperbole than like lying. Steve Jobs claiming the "best phone in the world" is hyperbole. Bernie Madoff claiming the "smoothest returns in the world" is lying.
I've actually found a good heuristic to know when to do which. If I'm uncomfortable and insecure, it's time to be bold. And if I'm sure I'm right and the other guy's wrong, it's probably time to shut up and listen. It basically comes down to doing the opposite of my emotional response.
It's not easy, but when I follow that guideline, things tend to work out better.
"Revlon was founded in the midst of the Great Depression, 1932, by Charles Revson and his brother Joseph, along with a chemist, Charles Lachman, who contributed the "L" in the REVLON name."
edit: and yes, I see the irony there.