BS Thyself Not

I had a boss early in my career who was one of those philosophical types, always dropping sayings or quotes to make his point. He thought he was quite smart and cool, very pleased with himself when he could drop a Churchill or Emerson quote, two of his favorites. We all thought he was a bore at the time.

Yet years later I've been thinking a lot about a quote he repeated time and time again after meeting with clients. We were a consulting firm focused on the marketing operations area in a variety of industries. Our clients often hired us with an outcome in mind and used our findings to drive sales, marketing and product strategy. This was pre-internet days (I'm getting old) and information was still a hard commodity to collect, analyze and interpret into actionable data. Our work often served as proof to support an ambitious marketing executive's ideas and career aspirations. At least three of our clients moved on to C-level positions on the back of successful marketing initiatives we supported. It was a great game and we had front row seats.

But I digress.

The quote we heard over and over again after client meetings was "BS Thyself Not". Not sure where he came up with this one, I can't find a single reference to it, but they are three of the most truthful words I know. Especially in today's world.

Our clients were masterful at avoiding the truth. One executive was hell-bent on pricing his new product at a premium to compete with the leader in the market. The trouble was our research didn't support this view. Pricing research was a big practice area for us. I interviewed potential customers myself and there was no way they were paying the same price point for our client's product than the leaders. The brand equity wasn't there. The client moved ahead anyway.

20 years later nothing has changed, except perhaps the BS has gotten bigger and broader. People want to believe. They need to believe.

Companies BS themselves. Management BS shareholders. Salesmen sell BS. Entrepreneurs live on BS. Politicians BS everyone. Government loves to BS. The Media is full of BS. Celebrities believe their BS. People buy the BS.

BS Thyself Not.

People have a lot of difficulty with this. We can be put in a situation on a daily basis where we have to choose between doing what we believe is right and what is convenient. It takes courage, discipline and character to do the right thing every time. After all we don't want to offend anyone in this politically correct society we have sprouted. Or God forbid we do something unpopular or are perceived not to be a team player. BS Thyself Not. 

I've certainly faced right or wrong decisions too many times to count, as I'm sure you have. Some are tougher than others. But one thing I have learned is there is no justification to BS thyself. Even if it means putting it all on the line. An excellent book about this topic is A Time To Betray by Reza Kahlili.

BS Thyself Not. Did the cowards at Penn State BS themselves that they didn't know or they did all they could? Does President Obama really think his administration has done a good job with the economy? Do we really believe our education system is doing right by our children? Do the Kardashians really think they have talent? BS Thyself Not.

We have heard leading politicians from both sides say over the years that everyone in Washington is well-intentioned even if they are wrong. This is perhaps the most absurd BS I have heard. It not only attempts to justify some of the BS our government officials do in our name, but tries to make it noble. Nonsense. BS Thyself Not.

The words resonate louder today than back in those days. But the time my old boss really nailed it was when we called him out on his new girlfriend who was half his age. Hey Boss, why is this beautiful lady in love with you? My great body he responded! And then he said BS Thyself Not!