How do I keep data honest when leadership wants good news?

You keep the numbers honest, and the pressure to dress them up prettier than they are tests you every reporting cycle. That pressure is real, and resisting it is quietly heroic. Anyone can hand up the number people want. Handing up the true one takes spine. Remember what your honesty actually protects. Leadership can only steer by the real picture. A rosier story feels good in the meeting and then quietly leads to worse decisions built on false ground. When you hold the true number, you are not being difficult. You are giving them the one thing they cannot lead well without. When the pressure comes, deliver the honest figure plainly and pair it with a path: here is where we really are, and here is what we can do about it. That way you are not just the bearer of hard news; you are the one they can trust to tell them the truth and help them act on it. That trust is worth more than any flattering slide.