Immediate costs and rewards loom larger than future ones.
More quotesBarry Marshall drank a billion bacteria. Somewhere, a strategy director is still polishing slide 63.
The stunt was dangerous, extraordinary and a dreadful template for Tuesday’s workshop. Its value lies in the insult it delivers to clever people who believe being correct completes the assignment. Evidence can be immaculate and still fail to travel. Other humans must notice it, understand it and decide differently.
A product team brings forty pages of analysis; a rough prototype changes the room in ninety seconds. A salesperson says “efficient” six times; one customer completes a familiar task before the kettle boils. An operations lead describes a future process while a small pilot exposes the current waste by Friday. Demonstration gives an argument consequence.
Drama can also counterfeit proof. Swamp water did not settle the medical question; subsequent research did. A glossy demo can hide manual work, a cherry-picked task or conditions no customer enjoys. The honest version tackles the strongest objection and retains a genuine chance of failure. Let the buyer use their data. Show the awkward case. Decide beforehand what result would damage the claim.
Ideas must survive scrutiny and enter decisions. Treat persuasion as vulgar and the weaker idea with the better journey wins. Treat spectacle as evidence and you have a travelling circus. Correctness needs transport, preferably one with brakes.