4 ms·

Most advice has bias. Of course the people giving business advice want to talk about their successes. Just like the people on social media post how perfect thei

Most advice has bias. Of course the people giving business advice want to talk about their successes. Just like the people on social media post how perfect their lives are. It's especially interesting to hear advice from people who lack empathy. Maybe high performers giving advice to someone with a disability. Or someone who got lucky that credits their hard work and denies luck had anything to do with it. I'm tired of it. I'll look at some advice just for curiosity, but I'm done trying. What happens, happens. No point in repeatedly wasting effort.

WalterBright 3y ago
Failure to learn from one's failures will induce inevitable further failure.
jfengel 3y ago
This bias is particularly dangerous, in that so much business advice comes down to "work hard and persevere". In the case of a business that's just not going to happen, this is pessimal advice that makes a bad situation worse.
- bruce511 3y ago
  I think a fair amount of "common advice" is wrong. Things like "work hard", "you can be whatever you want", "persevere" . There are truths in there; success does take hard work, but hard work does not lead to success. Success takes perseverance, but perseverance does not lead to success. Baking bread requires time, but having time does not lead to bread. You can do all the work, you can have most of the ingredients, but without yeast you don't get bread. It doesn't matter how much time, perseverance, work or dreams you put in. Finding the right advice is hard because unless someone can see what you are doing right, it's hard to know what is missing. Yes, sometimes the yeast is luck. But even knowing that is helpful. Luck (aka chance) can often be improved. I was lucky to land in the job I did, but I am least put myself in the right place at the right time. The worst advice is something you are already doing (hard work perseverence) without success. It's the equivalent of "what you are doing is not working, but keep doing it anyway" which is terrible.
bruce511 3y ago
Empathy is useful, but also a hindrance. I don't-want- to tell you your product is crap, your market is non-existent, your strategy is flawed, you are a terrible manager, your hard work is on things that don't matter, because you're a human and I have empathy. But sometimes the advice you really really need is not platitudes that make you feel better, but hard hitting truths that (as a side effect) may make you feel useless. -Good advice- that applies to your specific context, is hard to find. But it is invaluable.
- giantg2 3y ago
  That's still empathy because your catering to their true needs and not just their ego.
  - bruce511 3y ago
    Is it -empathy- though? I suppose I can deliver it in an empathetic way, but I'm not sure telling someone bad news straight will win empathetic points with observers. The truth hurts sometimes, and empathy makes us want to soften that hurt. But advice is valuable if it's right, not just kind. Of course its also possible to deliver good advice in such a noxious way that it's impossible to take seriously.

WalterBright 3y ago

Failure to learn from one's failures will induce inevitable further failure.

jfengel 3y ago

This bias is particularly dangerous, in that so much business advice comes down to "work hard and persevere". In the case of a business that's just not going to happen, this is pessimal advice that makes a bad situation worse.

bruce511 3y ago
I think a fair amount of "common advice" is wrong. Things like "work hard", "you can be whatever you want", "persevere" . There are truths in there; success does take hard work, but hard work does not lead to success. Success takes perseverance, but perseverance does not lead to success. Baking bread requires time, but having time does not lead to bread. You can do all the work, you can have most of the ingredients, but without yeast you don't get bread. It doesn't matter how much time, perseverance, work or dreams you put in. Finding the right advice is hard because unless someone can see what you are doing right, it's hard to know what is missing. Yes, sometimes the yeast is luck. But even knowing that is helpful. Luck (aka chance) can often be improved. I was lucky to land in the job I did, but I am least put myself in the right place at the right time. The worst advice is something you are already doing (hard work perseverence) without success. It's the equivalent of "what you are doing is not working, but keep doing it anyway" which is terrible.

bruce511 3y ago

Empathy is useful, but also a hindrance. I don't-want- to tell you your product is crap, your market is non-existent, your strategy is flawed, you are a terrible manager, your hard work is on things that don't matter, because you're a human and I have empathy. But sometimes the advice you really really need is not platitudes that make you feel better, but hard hitting truths that (as a side effect) may make you feel useless. -Good advice- that applies to your specific context, is hard to find. But it is invaluable.

giantg2 3y ago
That's still empathy because your catering to their true needs and not just their ego.
- bruce511 3y ago
  Is it -empathy- though? I suppose I can deliver it in an empathetic way, but I'm not sure telling someone bad news straight will win empathetic points with observers. The truth hurts sometimes, and empathy makes us want to soften that hurt. But advice is valuable if it's right, not just kind. Of course its also possible to deliver good advice in such a noxious way that it's impossible to take seriously.