Charlatans exist. That’s no surprise. The mystery is why so many smart people fall for them — quack doctors, snake oil salesmen and dodgy business gurus. Even as we part with our hard earned cash we know, in our hearts, that the quack doctor is quacking like a duck. But still we hand our money over.
Some gurus are genuinely good and insightful, at least in one area. But many are charlatans.
In the business world, gurus are attractive for three reasons:
- Business is getting harder and more complicated, so anyone who appears to offer a simple solution (or any solution) is suddenly an interesting person.
- If a guru has the credibility of a big professorship, book or client success in the past then we suspend our disbelief. Once the bandwagon starts to roll, it’s a case of: “if all those great people and firms use the guru, then I should as well!” (High fees only cement that belief: that shows how exceptional he or she must be.)
- If everyone else is using the guru or the latest business fad, suddenly it becomes dangerous not to – at worst, you made the same mistake as everyone else. But if you do not follow the fad and things go wrong, you have clearly failed. Safety says follow the herd.
The good news? In many cases, bringing in a fad or consulting a business guru makes you do things you probably knew you had to do anyway. It is a spur to action. The guru does not need to add any great insight — they simply act as a call to arms.
In other words gurus need no insight, no experience and no ability to succeed, which is probably why they chose to become gurus in the first place.
(Image: indiamos, CC2.0)
