A couple of weeks ago, in the post “That Blogger Thinks You’re Stupid” my BNET colleague Steve Tobak of the CEO Corner blog took umbrage when I suggested that reading Dilbert might help him understand how the business world appears to mere mortals. His response was:
I’ve actually read Scott Adams, have two of his books on my bookshelf. I don’t know how to tell you this Geoffrey, but it’s fictional satire, like The Office on TV. It isn’t real… I would have kept that sort of “wisdcom” to myself, but that’s just me.
In my response to his comment, I pointed out that the reason that Dilbert rings true is that satire exaggerates reality. As such, it allows us to see that reality more clearly than, say, the idealized version of reality that’s often touted by management consultants.
In fact, I happen to think that Dilbert in general (and specifically “The Dilbert Principle” and “The Dilbert Future“) are among the best and most useful business books ever published.
This is partly because most business books are so dreadful. But even the ones that are actually useful tend to pull their punches when it comes to pointing out the absurdities of the business world. Most business authors (and business bloggers for that matter) want to be hired as management consultants and, as such, often soft-pedal when it comes to pointing out unpleasant truths.
But I happen to believe that the first step towards success in sales is to be able to see things as they REALLY are. You can’t fix real problems if you’ve got your head full of silly ideas about how the business world is “supposed” to work. The subtitle to The Dilbert Future says it all: “Thriving on Business Stupidity in the 21st Century.”
The current meltdown is ample evidence that stupidity is rampant in the business world. If you’re going to make money, you’d better be tuned in to that. Otherwise, you’re flying blind.
Well-written satire is the most effective way to reveal reality as it really is, rather than how you’d like it be. That’s why I learn as much or more from Dilbert or The Office (or “God Inc.” as shown in the post “Video: Funnier than ‘The Office’?“) than I do from the traditional business texts.
But that’s just me. What about you? Here’s a poll:
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