On to the 9th questions from “Tribe of Mentors” by Tim Ferriss (see all previous questions here). This one is:
What are bad recommendations you hear in your profession or area of expertise?
Steven Pressfield believes that going deep is not done often enough:
Real work and real satisfaction come from the opposite of what the web provides. They come from going deep into something—the book you’re writing, the album, the movie—and staying there for a long, long time.
Naval Ravikant‘s advice is to ignore other advice you might hear, particularly related to age:
“You’re too young.” Most of history was built by young people. They just got credit when they were older. The only way to truly learn something is by doing it. Yes, listen to guidance. But don’t wait.
Lastly from the book was Jim Loehr‘s thoughts on authenticity:
“Be your authentic self.” I understand the intent of this statement, but it can be used as a lethal weapon to hurt others. In many cases, people use the statement “I’m just being authentic” as cover for treating others badly. You see people being dismissive or rude in a discussion and they brush off any personal accountability by stating, “Hey, I just have to be myself.” The truth I have discovered after working with incredible athletes, leaders, and individuals from across the globe is that our humanity is expressed most fully in our treatment of others—when we are respectful, humble, caring, honest, and grateful despite our struggles, disappointments, and failures. It represents the heart and soul of who we are at our best.
In thinking about this question, I really lean into what Robert Carnes shared on his post about this book, when he said:
“I’m also a huge stickler for marketing with ethics. Too many groups use shady tactics to communicate with people who would rather be left alone. Practices like cold calling and email scraping are technically legal, but give people a terrible impression of marketing. These are shortcuts to short-term results, but they’re manipulative and harmful.”
I agree 100% with what Robert said.
Related to that, I’d add the propensity for clients to build websites and design marketing based on what they prefer, rather than what might actually have a bigger impact on their users. When asked to change a website to a different shade of blue, my response is generally along the lines of “sure, but how does that make your website better for your customers?“
What are some bad recommendations that you tend to hear in your line of work?
