Eventually, They End Up Where I’ve Always Been
Truth Has No Agenda
I’ve said something for years: when you stick to the truth, other people may run from it, argue with it, or try to talk their way around it. But eventually, they can end up right where you’ve been standing all along.
The beauty of the truth is that you don’t have to remember which version of the story you told yesterday. You don’t have to invent a new explanation every time someone asks another question. Your position stays the same because the facts haven’t changed.
That doesn’t mean being stubborn for the sake of being stubborn. It means knowing the difference between defending your ego and standing behind something you can demonstrate.
Recently, I had a reminder of just how important that distinction is.
I was involved in a professional disagreement over a technical evaluation. I believed that the work had departed from what was originally agreed upon and that the differences mattered. I asked questions. I reviewed the work. I challenged the conclusions and continued requesting accountability. Someone close to the situation supported my decision to pursue the matter but warned me not to expect a favorable outcome when dealing with a much larger organization. I understood the point. I just didn’t believe that size or influence should determine whether I was willing to ask legitimate questions.
I described myself as a pebble in someone’s shoe. Not a boulder blocking the road. Just a small pebble that made itself felt with every step. Eventually, the matter was resolved in my favor. I can’t tell you what conversations happened behind closed doors or exactly why the decision was made. I can tell you that my concerns stayed consistent, and I never believed I needed to exaggerate them to be heard.
“If you stick to the truth, they get tired of running from it and eventually end up where I’ve always been.”
Over more than thirty years as a product designer and inventor, I’ve watched good people spend hard-earned money chasing promises. I’ve seen inventors become so attached to an idea that they stop listening to facts. I’ve also seen organizations present their expertise as if it were a substitute for answering straightforward questions.
Expertise deserves respect. It does not eliminate accountability. And experience should teach us to ask better questions, not to stop asking them.
You won’t win every disagreement simply because you believe you’re right. Sometimes new evidence proves you wrong, and when that happens, you should have the courage to change your mind. That’s part of respecting the truth, too.
But when the facts support your position, you shouldn’t have to surrender it because the person across the table has a bigger title, a larger organization, or more letters after their name.
My goal now is to help inventors and product designers recognize problems before those problems cost them money, time, and confidence. Sometimes that means saying something they don’t want to hear. Sometimes it means asking difficult questions of people who would rather not answer.
Either way, I’d rather be the pebble in someone’s shoe than remain silent when something isn’t right.
Truth Has No Agenda.