Maybe he’s right

As I’ve shared recently, I’m never 0% or 100% sure about anything, as I know there is a chance I could be wrong.

In recently reading the classic book “Selling the Invisible“, they shared an angle of this related to how people mistakenly apply 100% certainty to things that are not 100% certain. From the book:

The people tested answer a series of questions, and then answer this question about each answer: “From one to a hundred percent, how certain are you about this answer?”

What happens?

On the answers of which people say they are totally — 100 percent — certain, they are right only 85 percent of the time.

In other words, 15 percent of the time you think you are absolutely certain you are absolutely wrong.

In most services, that 15 percent error — those wrong but widespread assumptions that everyone in the company is making — is the most leverageable part of your business. Find it, and attack it.

Jay Chiat carries a note in his pocket. The note reminds him that whenever he is in an argument he should remember the note’s three words:

Maybe he’s right.

100% likelihood of anything is almost never accurate. There are a lot of things that I feel I know for sure, but none get to 100% because when someone disagrees with me, you know what? Maybe he’s right.