Filed under: Attitude & Aptitude, Comment, Context, Craft, Egovertising, Insight, Perspective, Prejudice
I once worked with a planner on an architectural project who suggested we should “fuck off the architects, because we could do this ourselves”.
While this guy was a delusional idiot, he was not – sadly – an anomaly.
I am getting increasingly frustrated by people who claim to have the answers to everything and anything when it is based almost exclusively on their own, clouded, personal perspectives.
They don’t care about the details … the issues … the nuances … the real problems … they think they can solve everything simply because their opinion represents every opinion, regardless how tenuous their knowledge or experience.
Sure, it is possible for some people to get so ‘lost’ in the details that they take you down dead-ends … but that doesn’t mean everyone is like that, so to have the attitude that you can blindly ignore people with specific knowledge and experience or that you don’t need to seek out greater understanding of the nuances of the situation because you think you know everything already, is – at best – naive and – at worst – the work of a destructive imposter.
Professionalism doesn’t mean you have to wear a suit and a tie and carry a briefcase to work every day, it means you have an inherent desire to do the best work of your life each and every time which means you can’t sit on your pedestal of delusion and prejudice with your eyes closed, ears shut but poisonous tongue very much alive.
By all means have a different point of view … but base it on the real issues and problems, not what you want the issue and problems to be.
Or instead of working for someone else, go start your own company and see how far you can go on your own. At least earn the right for your arrogance.
Happy Monday.
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Suddenly 2016 is looking up.
Comment by DH January 18, 2016 @ 6:24 amCan’t be a client you’re talking about. Or a suit. Could be a planner but you’d never let anyone in your group get away with that. I’m guessing a creative. Actually,
Comment by DH January 18, 2016 @ 6:28 amI’m guessing a creative who isn’t very creative because you hate those guys.
What am I thinking? There are other options. Management, media or digital “expert”. Problem is I think you’d tell them to piss off. Which leads me back to the creative who isn’t very creative. Have I won?
Comment by DH January 18, 2016 @ 6:32 amwho the fuck do you think you are, a shit sherlock?
Comment by andy@cynic January 18, 2016 @ 7:11 amYou never win Dave. But you’re a good second.
Comment by Rob January 18, 2016 @ 8:08 amIt’s your fault. Everything always is.
Comment by Billy Whizz January 18, 2016 @ 6:53 amdont be so fucking dramatic, he had fuck all to do with the creation of wpp.
Comment by andy@cynic January 18, 2016 @ 7:10 amThat’s what you think.
Comment by Billy Whizz January 18, 2016 @ 7:25 amdo you know what happened to little jimmy, campbell? has he got a job building flats that fall over in commieland? he was a fucking twat.
Comment by andy@cynic January 18, 2016 @ 7:13 amNo I don’t. Thank god.
Comment by Rob January 18, 2016 @ 8:08 amSurely you mean the fauxda complex?
Comment by George January 18, 2016 @ 7:57 amYes … good point.
Comment by Rob January 18, 2016 @ 8:09 amPeople like that should never be entertained. Until they acquaint themselves with all the details, complexities and facts, their opinion is meaningless.
Comment by Lee Hill January 18, 2016 @ 8:04 amAbsolutely. But sadly, sometimes you do have to entertain them – or at least, not be as blunt as you [and I] would like to be. But I agree … anyone is entitled to an opinion but only those with the experience, or facts or knowledge of the situation are entitled to be listened to.
Comment by Rob January 18, 2016 @ 8:11 amAnd yes, they should be told that. Maybe with a bit of consideration to their situation, but definitely told.
Comment by Rob January 18, 2016 @ 8:12 amconsideration? you? youre having a fucking laugh.
Comment by andy@cynic January 18, 2016 @ 8:24 amSorry Robert, but I have to agree with Andrew.
Comment by George January 18, 2016 @ 8:40 amJust this morning I came across this sentence in Philip Roth’s novel ‘The Plot against America’:
“The pompous son of a bitch knows everything – it’s too bad he doesn’t know anything else”.
Seems appropriate.
Comment by Ian Gee January 18, 2016 @ 10:56 amYep, pretty much nails it.
Comment by Rob January 18, 2016 @ 4:53 pmThe great tragedy of our time.
Comment by M January 19, 2016 @ 12:31 amI once had a conversation with my uncle, who is a now retired doctor. He told me that one of the most important moment in a surgeon’s career is when you come to terms with the limits of medicine. He believes that this has played a fundamental role in avoiding illusion of omnipotence that could lead to potentially fatal mistakes.
In advertising, I’ve already seen illusion of superiority so many times since I’ve started working in it.
Now, having the huge responsibility of a human life in your hands definitely helps being humble and advertising doesn’t have to cope with that.
Anyway, we’re still spending someone else’s money, so it would be helpful to start establishing what ad agency people definitely can’t do, and be honest about it. I haven’t seen lots of people doing it so far, in my experience.
Maybe the “I don’t have magic dust” mantra that so many football managers have started using to avoid unjustified enthusiasms, and the dismissal that consequently follows, should resonate stronger in our ears.
Cheers.
Comment by Ste January 27, 2016 @ 10:20 pm