The Value Of Brutal Honesty
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
In the Frequently Asked Questions section of Adweek magazine ’ s website , the top question is “ Why do I have to register to read Adweek . com content ?” The answer is a total crock : “ Adweek is committed to providing the best possible experience for our audience . By registering to become an Adweek Community member , you ’ re helping us understand more about how you use Adweek and the type of content you ’ re interested in so that we can continue to create best-in-class content and products that serve your needs .”
Since they ’ re a publication dedicated to marketing and advertising , you would think they could at least cobble together a better lie . Personally , I ’ d prefer brutal honesty : " We make you subscribe so we can build our list to sell advertising to our sponsors . We are , after all , an advertising platform and keep the lights on by selling advertising to our list ."
As a marketing person , that answer would not offend me in the least . It ’ s honest . The other pile of crap they ’ re trying to sell is a complete insult to the reader because we all know it ’ s a lie . As the saying goes , the cover-up is worse than the crime , and that goes DOUBLE when you ’ re the one trying to cover up your own b . s .
Twice I ’ ve been invited to watch the filming of the wildly popular TV show “ Shark Tank ,” and both times , I ’ ve had the opportunity to see multiple pitches start to finish , then hang out and discuss the pitches with the Sharks in between stage resets and over lunch . Kevin O ’ Leary , the subject of this month ’ s cover article , is someone I ’ ve gotten to know well from having him speak on my stage twice and bringing him in for a day of private consulting about a year ago . I think he ’ s wrongly accused of being a mean-spirited arsehole . Yes , he plays the “ tough ” Shark to make the show interesting ( just like Robert plays the “ nice ” Shark , Barbara plays the “ crazy ” Shark , etc .). But Kevin is simply a smart straight shooter who doesn ’ t sugarcoat the truth . I agree with him that brutal honesty is the absolute best advice some of the wannabe entrepreneurs on the show can get . Often , the entrepreneurs who make it to the show have already burned through their entire savings , borrowed extensively from friends and family , quit their job , and are close to bankruptcy or rapidly headed in that direction . If they aren ’ t bluntly told that their business sucks and that they don ’ t have what it takes to make it work , they could spend a few more miserable years digging themselves deeper into a black pit of debt and dragging their family down with them . Years of loss pile up in time wasted and money not invested properly .
Unlike me , Kevin is not in the business of “ fixing ” entrepreneurs by teaching them how to be better marketers , salespeople , and leaders . He doesn ’ t have the desire to “ coach .” In his world — which is the world of business — either you make money or you don ’ t . If his brutal honesty stings , then it just might spark the fire to burn off the deadwood b . s . they ’ re clinging to , motivating them to abandon their failure of a business for something more profitable or at least stop wasting time and money on a bad idea .
The marketplace is brutally binary . Either you make money or you don ’ t . You either have a competitive product or service that sells or you don ’ t . Either you grew this year and made a respectable profit or you didn ’ t . The marketplace doesn ’ t care that you ’ ve put your life into your business or that it ’ s always been your dream to run an IT company . The marketplace doesn ’ t care that it ’ s difficult to find “ good ” people or that you ’ re working really , really hard . The marketplace won ’ t pay you extra for being a “ nice ” person or because you ’ re
Founder and CEO , Technology Marketing Toolkit , Inc .
handicapped , unfairly burdened , or struggling in some way . The marketplace also doesn ’ t care if you ’ re black , white , old , young , pretty , ugly , gay , or straight . The marketplace is just , and the measurements of actual success and accomplishment are straightforward . Not many people like this , and some have tried to make business “ more fair ” to no avail .
As we moved into this new year , you might have set goals for 2020 or made personal resolutions . Maybe you ’ ve created a new mission statement for yourself and your company and hung it around the office . Perhaps you ’ ve gone so far as to take everyone on a personal retreat to plot and plan . Good for you , I suppose . But sentiment aside , it ’ s definitely NOT the thought that counts . If you ’ re not where you want to be , not making the money you want , not seeing your business progress as it should , or simply not at peace with how hard you have to work for the results , perhaps it ’ s time you took a ruthless look at yourself and your business to determine exactly what is working and what is not . Be brutally honest with yourself and make the hard decisions you ’ ve been avoiding .
The big “ secret ” in life is that there are no secrets . Whatever your goal is , you can get there — as long as you ’ re willing to be brutally honest with yourself about the hard work , preparation , and learning you must invest to get it done . n
4 | MSPSUCCESSMAGAZINE . COM • VOLUME 1 ISSUE 6