I’m a fan of Scott Adams and some of his books. I’ve listened to his interviews on podcasts and in print for many, many years. So it was with great anticipation that I bought his most recent book Win Bigly. Persuasion in a World Where Facts Don’t Matter.
You can imagine my disappointment, then, when the book turned out to be a primer on how to mislead others on your way to success. To be sure, there’s a lot to admire in the book but in the end, it can be summed up in this manner: “Here’s how Donald Trump has duped America, and here’s how you can use the same techniques to further your own career.”
When I wrote a one star review to that effect on Amazon, it apparently kinda pissed Mr. Adams off. He called me “despicable” and “unethical” for writing the review. He did this online. For the whole world to see.
Interesting.
What caused the whole fuss?
My Amazon review, and the back-and-forth between Mr. Adams and myself, can be seen in its entirety below. (You can also read it online here.)
Ready to see what caused all the fuss? Here goes:
Rating: One Star
Title: A Book that Teaches People How to be Dishonest
Review: Scott Adams has a brilliant mind. If you’ve read any of his other books, as I have, you’ll know that he’s smart, insightful, and provides great tips on navigating life’s complexities. With a mind as brilliant as Adams’ is, it’s a shame he’s using his gift to make America worse, not better.
Before I dive in to what makes this book so harmful, let’s start with the good concepts in it. On page 21, Mr. Adams discuses the Proximity Effect, where a person links their personal brand to a more famous and well-respected brand by association. Great concept.
On page 28, he discusses the Higher Ground Maneuver, which instructs us to elevate a debate to a higher commonly held belief as a way to take the steam off of a heated debate. Another great concept.
And on page 76, he discusses the Spoon Feeding technique which encourages the reader to guess what people are thinking — if you’re right, they’ll be amazed at your premonition, and if you’re wrong, they’ll forget that you guessed incorrectly.
All great stuff discussed in the first half of the book and possibly worth the price of admission.
Now, how can I give this book a one star review? Here’s how — a book that defends the use of deceit and lying as a way to achieve a desired outcome deserves to be tossed in the trash can.
(Before Reading On: Please note that I am a right of center voter who has backed Regan, Bush, Romney and other Republicans. But, like so many sensible people, I have a disdain for Trump’s childlike antics. Let’s continue…)
For some oddball reason, Adams describes Trump as a man worthy of our praise and admiration. That’s right, Trump — the man who makes fun of our war heroes, the man who chastises people for their physical appearance, and the man who admits to sexually assaulting women — is a man, according to Adams, who we should all aspire to be like.
Page after page of fawning admiration for Trump grows weary, but the final straw (for me, anyway) was when Adams described Trump as the victim of bullying.
What? Really? Trump, the man who famously bullies people like Senator Jeff Sessions, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, and Senator Mark Rubio is the victim of bullying?
I’m not kidding. Adams actually portrays Trump as the victim of bullying at the bottom of page 232.
It gets worse. Mr. Adams, who describes himself early in the book as a patriot, doesn’t even vote! Seriously, after suffering through chapter after chapter of his admiration for Trump the Sexual Assaulter, Mr. Adams, who supported Trump online and in interviews, admits that he hasn’t bothered to vote for several decades.
News alert for Mr. Adams: Patriots vote. Period.
One last nail in the coffin of Mr. Adams’ credibility — Adams writes about how he first endorsed Trump. Then Clinton. Then Johnson (the one who didn’t know where Aleppo was). Then Trump again. It’s fine if you want to change your mind, Mr. Adams, but when you drag America along your “which way is the wind blowing today?” journey, you deserve to lose whatever credibility you might have had.
What’s the bottom line in all of this? Mr. Adams has written a book that essentially teaches people how to deceive others and lie their way to success — just the way Trump has. That’s not the America I’ve grown to love. And, I believe, it’s not the America that the readers of this review would want either.
How did Scott Adams feel about my review?
Well, it’s safe to say he wasn’t a fan. Here was his response on Amazon:
“The book explains that I don’t vote because joining a team ruins your objectivity. By leaving out my science-based explanation you deceive the readers. I find that despicable and unethical.” — Scott Adams
Never one to let a good spat go to waste, I responded thusly:
“Hi Scott — The act of casting a ballot does not necessarily ruin a person’s objectivity. It simply means you cared enough to voice your opinion. I stand by my original statement: Patriots vote. Period. The larger question here is this — why would you use your gift to teach people how to deceive others? Doesn’t America deserve better from you? — Jamie (James) Turner”
So far, no response from Mr. Adams. (Although you can rest assured that I’ll let you know if he responds.)
What are the learnings from this interaction?
I learned a few things along the way that might be helpful to you:
- Scott Adams is a smart guy: I remain steadfast on the first premise found in my review — that Scott Adams is a smart guy with a lot to offer America.
- If you have a gift, use it wisely: I also remain steadfast on my second premise — that Scott Adams has used his gift to make America worse, not better. That’s a darn shame.
- The first half of the book is pretty good: There’s a lot you can learn from the first 137 pages of the book. (As an example, you can learn about the proximity effect, which is where you build awareness for your brand by putting it in orbit with other, better-known brands … which is exactly what I’m doing here for my own brand. Thanks, Scott!)
- The second half of the book is terrible: Our country suffers when we put people on a pedestal who intentionally lie in order to achieve their desired outcome. George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and Ronald Reagan would be ashamed of such a book. Mr. Adams should be ashamed, too.
As a people, we all have differing points-of-view, but I know there’s one thing we all have in common — a love for our country. With that in mind, let’s get back to a place of honesty, decency, and truth. I know that’s what Washington, Lincoln, and Reagan would want. And I suspect that’s what the readers of this blog post want, too.
About the Author: Jamie Turner is an internationally recognized author, speaker, and CEO who speaks about business, digital media, and leadership at events, conferences, and corporations around the globe. He has been profiled in one of the world’s best selling marketing textbooks, is the author of several business books, and can be seen regularly on CNN and HLN. He can be reached at +1-678-313-3472 or via email at Jamie.Turner@SIXTY.Company.