See the Truth, Say the Truth
We’ve been blindsided by two hype-bubbles in the last 10 years.
One of the many lessons we should have learned: If something looks wrong/fake/stupid/overblown/disingenuous/hyperbolic/ exaggerated/too-good-to-be-true … it probably is.
So, if something looks fishy, smells fishy and/or tastes fishy, call it a fish.
If you see a big purple elephant on the table, don’t look around it, call it a big purple elephant.
One very important piece of recalibrating your approach to business in this post-hype-bubble world is to question assumptions, question prevailing attitudes, question things that just don’t seem right.
In 1971 Pete Townshend wrote and Roger Daltry sang, “We Won’t Get Fooled Again.” Want to sing the same song 38 years later? When you see the truth, say the truth.
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Excellent post! Thank you.
In order to say the truth, people need to have faith in their own opinions and not be afraid of being wrong.
I learned this lesson most vividly once in sunday school. At 13, I was the youngest person at the study, and we were talking about autonomy. The leader set forth a lengthy argument in favor of autonomy, then asked what everyone else thought. Confused, I asked, “What does ‘autonomy’ mean?” The leader asked the others to give me a definition, but none of them could. He was the only one who knew, but everyone else was going to try to fake it!
When you are confused or have doubts, be dedicated enough to the truth to get answers. You will further your own understanding and possibly prove others’ ignorance.
I do a lot of presenting and like to learn from the masters. If you watch the likes of Tom Peters or Seth Godin they really lay their souls bare on stage. You listen to them and there’s absolutely no doubt what they believe in – and the audience warms to that. They love authenticity. Maybe it’s because we get bombarded with so much marketing-speak, people hiding behind logos and images. Honesty, openness, passion: core values for what promises to be a new way for business. Let’s hope!
Great post Steve! Another thought related to this: are we certain that we understand our customer’s truth? Are we listening to what they are really saying or are we hearing only what we want to hear?
That’s a great point, Kevin. The best way to understand what our customer’s perceive as the truth is to ask them. Just pick up the phone and ask. Crazy though, eh?