How often does your boss butter you up with crap, not just with the innocent pat on the back “I get it. We’re on the same page.”  ?

What did Schwarzman say ? He said: “Everybody here can be successful.” You’ve heard that many times from many people, so he’s not the first and only to say it. The context:

“Landing an analyst position at Blackstone isn’t easy. In 2015, Schwarzman said the firm got more than 15,000 applications for 100 spots, or an acceptance rate of less than 0.7 percent. ‘It’s six times harder to get a job as an analyst at Blackstone than getting into Harvard, Yale or Stanford,’ the billionaire said in 2015. (Bloomberg)

When I heard that lie, common as it is, I thought: make a list of lies bosses, CEOs, top-of-the-food-chain people say. Some of these lies are so widespread, they’ve become part of daily life.

-“If you don’t do it for yourself, do it for your loved ones.” -As much as this makes sense (Does it ?), it is hamster wheeling. This is building a citizenry of servants and misandrists.

“Purpose doesn’t only come from work.” -Every once in a while an inspiring boss comes up with this one. Last seen: Mark Zuckerberg at the Harvard Commencement Speech earlier this year. This sentence is sort of read-the-fine-print while you’re doing shitty work. It’s your fault: it’s not the crappy job, it’s your lack of doing good things outside of it. Be a good donkey and stay at that unsatisfying job. Again, such statements read well on surface but are subterfuge for demolishing your personality.

When somebody says “Start at the bottom.“, ask yourself: Is such statement even necessary ? Someone can only start at the bottom. Where else can someone start, if not at the bottom. If they repeat it again four years later what they’re really saying is “Stay at the bottom.” Can you build an inverted pyramid ? Tell you what: I’ll look at your turnover, and based on that, I see what what you mean with the “Start at the bottom” line.

Skilled lies have to appear reasonable. The more powerful and polished the person, the more subtle the lying.

“Re-examine all that you have been told,
Dismiss that which insults your soul.” -Walt Whitman

The list is long.

I’m just getting warmed up.

Biggest lie you’re told -That’s how we make progress.