On the benefits of buying into corporate propaganda
Last week, I attended a very large corporate event. I, and some 3000+ other colleagues from around the world, were invited to spend a week in Las Vegas, NV, socializing, eating drinking and listening to corporate presentations by various CEOs, CFOs and the like.
As a natural skeptic, I could not help but see the messages being fed to the audience. The tendency of leaders to put themselves in a boat with the rest of the employees. Describing the company as a family. Acquired companies are partners that chose to join the family. We were invited to cheer at the thought that the share price had doubled over the last 5 years. In me, this all provoked an intense sense of rejection. I felt gross, lied to, manipulated. You see, I know that some of it works on me, despite the intellectual rejection. That’s how smart people end up in cults. No one is immune.
As I returned to the office today, I shared my insights with some colleagues. I gave them my unfiltered skeptical view of the event. Most reactions were accordingly muted. I provided a balanced view and my colleagues did not feel better or worse knowing that.
But then I listened to another person who attended the event with me. He decided to share key positives. He approached it as his job to reinforce and distribute the message we heard. As I had talked to him…
