Recently, a newly-hired VP of Marketing briefed the board of directors on his marketing plan for the year. He demonstrated a strong grasp of the the company’s goals, market openings, competitive landscape, etc.
Everyone was impressed.
Since this was a technology start-up, everyone also knew that anything could happen. The world could change overnight. The company had a high chance of failure no matter how good the strategy — this was a start-up, after all.
The VP of Marketing concluded his presentation with a line that acknowledged this uncertainty: I may be wrong, but I’m not confused. In other words, I’m placing bets, they might not pan out, but it’s not because I don’t understand what’s going on or aren’t aware of the various options.
Great line.
(as told to me by someone on the board)
aka “Often wrong, never in doubt.”