Are you stretching—or faking?
Call me old-fashioned, but experience and expertise are not optional when it comes to doing the work. They’re what build your knowledge base, your judgment, and your ability to actually deliver results especially when the stakes are high.
And yet, more and more, we’re seeing people skip this part of the equation and convincing others it’s unnecessary, too.
The Problem Isn’t New—It’s Amplified
Of course, this phenomenon isn’t new, but it is on steroids. There have always been posers, con men, and snake oil salesmen. But now, with 24/7 media and social platforms, they have a much larger stage—and an even larger audience. And they can be incredibly compelling, because bravado paired with energy and enthusiasm can look a lot like expertise.
It’s easy to be fooled. Think deep fake-level convincing.
A Personal Reality Check
In full disclosure, this showed up early in my own career when asked if I could coach the CEO of a Fortune 500 company. I said yes.
I had coached a number of C-suite executives across industries. I understood the issues. The pressures. The dynamics. I had the skills required. The experience. The confidence.
But… I had not coached a CEO. So yes, technically I was stretching into confidence but it was based on a real foundation.
I wasn’t bullshitting. I was… rounding up.
And that’s where it can get tricky.
Because we all stretch. We should. Even when you’re stretching, your confidence should still be grounded in reality:
The Bottom Line
My father used to say:
“You can fool some of the people some of the time, and some of the people all of the time—but you can’t fool all of the people all of the time.”
Swagger might get you in the room. And right now, it can even pass for competence.
Until it can’t.
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