Don Draper in Real Life?

I'm a big fan of Mad Men. I've been wondering if a person like Don Draper (the characteristics, not the taking another man's name part) can be successful in real life corporate settings. People probably find it really hard to get to know him and he might even be disliked. I don't think you can build enough trust like that in an organization.

Please tell me your thoughts. Thanks.

10 Comments
 

i'm currently watching season 7 ep 10 & was thinking the exact same thing. I think that depending on how smooth or manipulative you are it is very possible however trust is not important in the bigger picture instead the allusion of trust is more important.

I believe that everyone at one point in someone's life regardless of how close they are will break that trust and the result is simply a defence mechanism to avoid future instances of that occurring again. Its a chess not checkers mentality that I have seen from coaches getting a recruit to a broker selling an overprice home, cunning ? Yes, profitable? Yes

 

Don't worry about such inconsequential things my friend. Worry about better things that matter in this forum like cash multiples, cap rates, Monte Carlo algorithms, LBO's, DCF, etc. Don Draper is imaginary...he is a figment of your imagination, he doesn't exist, he is a fugazi. It's a whazy. It's a woozie. It's fairy dust. it doesn't exist. It's never landed. It is no matter. It's not on the elemental chart. It's not fucking real.

 

I'm not a banker. Nor am I ever interested in being one. My field is more theoretical. So these kind of questions are really helpful to ask since they help me build my thought process more.

Honestly I just want to try to break down what aspects of Don's personalities and see what parts wor kand what parts are detrimental and blah blah blah... Practicing that kind of thinking makes me better at my job.

 

In general, people want to hear themselves talk and talk about themselves. I have long conversations with people where they are mainly just talking about themselves because I keep giving them the opening to do so. You can build trust and "friendship" with people in business by just letting them talk about themselves.

"yeah, thats right" High-Five
 

This is extremely important advice. And this is what makes Don Draper successful - he gleans info about a person's past, about his character, etc., then in a classic reversal, uses it to direct the advertisement at the client (not at the client's customer).

GoldenCinderblock: "I keep spending all my money on exotic fish so my armor sucks. Is it possible to romance multiple females? I got with the blue chick so far but I am also interested in the electronic chick and the face mask chick."
 

You must have never met an advertising professional. Their job is to lie to others to convince others that the things they know are lies are true.

You can't really get any other type of person in that role.

Follow the shit your fellow monkeys say @shitWSOsays Life is hard, it's even harder when you're stupid - John Wayne
 

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