Trump: How to Get Rich

Don’t Equivocate

If you equivocate, it’s an indication that you’re unsure of yourself and what you’re doing. It’s also what politicians do all the time, and I find it inappropriate, insulting, and condescending.

I try not to do it. Fortunately, I don’t have to try too hard at this one, because I’ve been known to be on the blunt (and fast) side at times, which is good.

I once asked an executive in my organization to give me a synopsis of a new development we were considering. He’d been to the city in question, had spent some time there, and had done some careful investigating. He went on to describe the merits of the site, the pitfalls, the good things, the bad things, the pros, the cons—on and on in great detail. He must’ve talked for ten minutes straight. Judging from what he was telling me, there were just as many reasons to drop the project as there were reasons to jump right in and get going. It was like a tied game with no overtime.

I asked him more questions, and we ended up exactly where we were before. He was on both sides of the fence at once and didn’t seem to want to take a stand either way. This guy had a lot of experience and a good track record, so finally I asked him what he thought of the project in ten words or less.

It stinks, he said.

He had eight words left, but he didn’t need them.