“People do not think; they feel. They do not believe what is true; they regard as true that which they wish to believe. A lie that affirms us will gain more credence than a truth that challenges us.”
- David Frum, The Atlantic, Nov 4, 2018
Heavy stuff here. Especially as we wind down to the end of Political Ads Season. Oh. I meant “Election Day.”
I’ve literally ruminated on this quote for dang-near six years. I know some thinkers. I’ve met dozens of people that I thought were thinkers. Heck, I’ve even considered myself a thinker! Crap!
The Diff is intentionally, largely non-political. David Frum wrote speeches for Bush XLIII. He’s written books on other politicians, and he leans right (shocker!). Having typed that, the slippery slope is noted, but not applicable in this sense.
Consider the deals we chase as sales pros. “Give ’em something to think about!” says the sales leader. Consider the strategies we map out, document, and deploy. “Any right-thinking person…” would think we were brilliant, right?
What if Frum is correct (and I believe he is!)?
Confirmation bias is a dangerous thing. In election season. In business. In a deal. In a relationship with a loved one. Heck, confirmation bias may be at its most dangerous on a golf course. “I think I can fade this five-iron over the fescue onto the green…” That last one was tongue-in-cheek, as I prepare to take our son on his “dream golf weekend,” so I digress, except I don’t. From Thursday at noon, until we walk off the 18th green at Erin Hills on Saturday, it will be about feeling. And it will always be, just as it has always been.
If people feel first, we should re-think deals, strategies, and interactions with loved ones, clients, suppliers, and our teams. It isn’t that we can’t think, or even that we don’t think. It’s that we feel, first and foremost.
That doesn’t make the truth that challenges us any less critical—the opposite is true. It’s just that if we seek to make a difference, packaging the challenging truth in a way that allows us and those around us to feel it, the needle is moved. The difference is made.
John Kopp says
Truth. Nowadays – truth is a difficult thing to decipher. “Fact checkers” interject bias. The press conveniently leaves out details in reporting in order to persuade. On the whole – we don’t like to be challenged or questioned in our statements. The perception might become “we don’t know what the heck we are talking about!” And that’s a scary thought considering that all of our education and life experiences have shaped our beliefs. We’d all be better off is we’d set our ego aside – and “think”.
Very thoughtful column Steve.
Steve Heston says
Thanks, John! May we live in interesting times….right?