At one of my first jobs--working for a political pollster--my boss said our job was to "bring the truth to the table," and I thought that's a good motto to work by. Also, it's just easier to tell people your honest opinion when they ask for it. It's not always popular, but at least they never wonder what you really think.After ten years as a professor, I've taught classes, advised students, analyzed data, published papers, led meetings, developed curriculum, and chaired departments & university-level committees. I'm comfortable talking to any audience of any size at pretty much any time, and I'm even more comfortable if I had a chance to personally play with the data we're going to discuss before I open my mouth. Before joining academia, I had a number of jobs, all of which included the title "analyst," and involved me playing with data most of the day.