Who You Foolin?

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"To thine ownself be true" ~ William Shakespeare

There was a catch phrase that was really popular in some circles a while ago "Fake it till you make it". It meant building this artificial edifice around oneself to convey an appearance. I thought it was crap and got into some disagreements with those who purported the exterior, the superficial, and the appearance was what mattered in order to... (whatever). If you are ever in a position where your primary objective is to influence the efforts, actions and behaviors of others to accomplish something - and aren't we all? The way to do that is to set an example pure and simple. If that example is fake, untrue or misleading what are you saying? The premise is flawed and we all, as the saying goes, "reap what we sow". All of us are watched, and observed constantly. Our words, actions and habits are judged - yes judged. We are judged by the factory employee who comes in early in the morning and looks into our office. We are judged by the salesperson who calls us on the phone and evaluates us through our buffers (try to have as few as possible). We are judged by administrative and creative staff every day in what we do, how we interact and how we do what we do.We are judged, long after they are not around, by the people we have worked with in the past and those vendors who we deal with and have dealt with us. Do we honestly think -" fake it... " isn't seen for what it is? Do we honestly believe that misdirection, however temporary, is a good long term strategy to build relationships and succeed in any endeavor?

I say ~ "To Thine Ownself Be True".
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