Ejected into a swirl of misdirection

The advantage of being a relentlessly optimistic person with and boundless energy is, your frequent errors in judgment are generally overlooked.

People will be so impressed by your enthusiasm, confidence and speed, that they won’t notice how bad your ideas are until they’re stuck cleaning up your mess.

This strategy has paid off for a number of my jobs over the years, from launching my own publishing company to working as an employee for agencies and startups.

Turns out, you can volunteer a disproportionate amount of your valuable time spearheading projects for which you’re completed unqualified, and as long as you execute quickly and confidently, nobody really says anything. They’re too busy enjoying the show.

Reminds me of a hilarious satire article about marketing executive at a tea company:

Matthew’s coworkers reported that while many of his ideas are never used, some occasionally will pass as original, due to the strength and force of his hopelessly misapplied personal energy. The guy is always briskly walking through the office, on his way to an important meeting. And despite the failure of many of his campaigns, most employees at the company still perceive him as an ambitious go getter.

Gaiman, the award winning bestselling author, preached this very strategy is his popular commencement address:

People keep working because their work is good, they are easy to get along with, and because they deliver the work on time. But you don’t even need all three. You don’t have to be as good as the others if you’re on time and it’s always a pleasure to hear from you.

My first exposure to the power of this strategy came in my early twenties, when my quirky idea to wear a nametag everyday starting becoming a profitable business. Despite having no job experience, no resume, no credentials, and no legitimate expertise whatsoever, big companies paid me big money to travel around the world and share my story with millions of people.

I had no clue what I was doing, but nobody noticed. They were too busy looking at the nametag.

That’s magic. It’s the art of choreographing attention. It’s not about deceiving people, it’s about misdirecting them.

If you master that, you can get away with anything.

Not forever, of course. Eventually people will grow wise to your shenanigans, but by that time, you’ll be ready to move onto the next thing anyway. 

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
What if working with you was fast and friendly enough that quality became irrelevant?