|
Matt: An extremely competitive spirit of confidence and perhaps a little bit of hatred, those are just some of the guiding principles that help one guy from queens rise to the top of the advertising world. Donny Deutsch says the key to the success was asking one simple question of himself-"Why not me?" Now the advertising whiz turns CNBC talk show host offers up his winning formula in his first book, "Often Wrong, Never in Doubt,Unleash the Business Rebel Within."
Matt: Hey, Donny,good morning. Nice to see you.
Donny Deutsch: Good to see you,Matt.
Matt: Why not me? How,how did you come up with that?
Donny Deutsch:Key-said awards. Every time I've met in obe-sucessful person in business or president of the United States, just somebody who's made it to the pivotal. Beyond the obvious toolbox of being bright and hard-working and how this almost naive sense of entitlement of: Why shouldn't I be the president of the United State? Why shouldn't I be the anchor of Today's Show? And until you say that, that next level can not have it. It doesn't mean that you're guaranteed, but if you don't believe it, if you don't feel entitled, it ain't gonna happen.
Matt: It's all about ,and, and you talk about this, write about this a lot in the book.It's all about confidence.
Donny Deutsch: Yup.
Matt: And,and you have,I would say after knowing you for a year or two now, you have a certain amount of confidence that some people who know you probabaly think is healthy and other people think crosses the line into cocky. Is that fair?
Donny Deutsch: Yeah. That's fair. I mean bottom line if you don't believe in yourself, nobody else is going to, but at the same time, you know the title of the book is "often wrong,(right)never in doubt".(right)
Matt: So where did the confidence come from? who instilled that in you?
Donny Deutsch: Uh, You know, I guess my folks, I guess, you know, making love with a girl and the bottom line is I think where I learned, it was, it's okay to fail and I talk about failure in the book,you know you have to embrace failure. And in the other place where it is,as I built the agency, and as I met all these Fortune 50 CEOs, all these people. I've yet to meet the genius. And as you go through life, when you meet the,the top of the top of the heap, you realize, ya know what, they are smart, they are terrific.
Matt: Wait, wait, the genius thing, you don't think you meet people who are smarter than you?
Donny Deutsch: I think a lot of people are smarter. But I've still yet to be genius one, once people understand, that all the people you read about and all, and I start to say that they are very talented, very bright people, but you know, not as bright as you think sometimes. So once you realize that, it's very empowering, like people think what we do for a living(Right.) is incredibly difficult. Yet, if they sat in the chair, and they did it for a while. Hey, you can do that!
Matt: You write somethings in the book that I think the publishers probably get on letter, get in hold and say , "This will be provocative." Let's talk about this. But let me ask you one of the lines: I believe, this is what you write, I believe we are motivated in life by a single driving for sex, you go on to say: I don't think there's been a day in my business career when there hasn't been some woman at work that I haven't fantasized about.
Donny Deutsch: Correct! You know, it's interesting. You know, first of all.
Matt: You go through your work day fantasizing about women?
Donny Deutsch: No, I didn't say that. Small percent. What I belive is that in the workplace, a little healthy flirtation, a little healthy fantasy is okay. Once again, I have had thousands of people as there've never been a harassment suit but to deny, (We needn't have thousands of people.)no, no, it would go through the agency. But to deny the fact there's not a man- woman quotient. As you said in your earlier saying. (right) A man-man quotient. That's okay there is a different ener(gy). If I'm here sitting here with you, there is a different energy that from I'm sitting here with Katie. That doesn't mean this is an inappropriate energy. But that's okay.
Matt: Who is fantasizing about today at work?
Donny Deutsch: Katie.
Matt: No, seriously, you,you literally, are there, are these people you meet in fantasy?
Donny Deutsch: It's not. It's not fantasy. My point is this, to deny that there is not a man-woman issue in the marked place. Or woman-woman, or man (And you said..) and not, that, that goes into deny that there's not a difference. It is rediculous.
Matt: By the way, and you don't, you don't treat women according to you, the way you write as sex objects because you also say women are superior in business.
Donny Deutsch: Well, I guess there it is that I believe in business. The whole chapter they give me a man and a woman of the same talent, I will take the woman every time, I think they're superior in business because, you and I, guys. I have found throughout my career out for males were so much more concerned with whose office is bigger and pals are winning, where women, almost added an exception, they wanna be paid fairly, get the job done. I found women with the exception of my co-president guys in LA.
Matt: Have you met these people?
Donny Deutsch: Better in business! Eight of my top ten partners in business are women. It's a reasonable exception.
Matt: What does it deal with the statement you make in the book that, that a little hatred is good. In fact, you're saying your current job as a talk show host, you hate Larry King, who happens to be one of the nicer guys you choose to be.
Donny Deutsch: First at all I love Larry King.(Right.) And I even say in my book and even with my show a couple of weeks ago. He is the best. My point in the book is, is this, is that, you have to personify, say, who's the best that what I do. The yankee, I mean what, what.....
Matt: That's envy. That's not hate.
Donny Deutsch: Ok, it's a book.you know, we'd like this a little metaphor.(It's provocative, right) And the point is that you have to say why did he get Martha Stewart as a guest? I should have that guest and it's actually built with the respect. You put someone on your pedestal, and you say, wow that once again, if that is a competitive spirit, you added the competitive spirit with the other morning shows (right) and, as I say Larry King to me is one of my heroes. But the point B: you gotta be a little pissed off, a little angry. I gotta get there, I wanna be there so whatever wherever you are going in life, shoot somewhere and say that's the pedestal I want.
Matt: You say you want, you've thought about possibility of becoming mayor of New York city, so why not me? You are gonna make that happen?
Donny Deutsch: Until you said, now once again, you know, I would love to get into politics. Now it doesn't mean it's gonna happen but until I say, wait a second, why not me? Bloomberg was a great businessman. He is a great mayor. Until I said that, it actually, manically cannot happen. Doesn't mean it's going to,(yeah) but it can't unless you say it...
Matt: Yeah. Are you sad in your closet?
Donny Deutsch: Not at all.
Matt: Yeah. Keep the whole press court busy. I have the feeling . Donny Deutsch's book is called "Often Wrong, Never in Doubt". Good to have you to...
Donny Deutsch: Pleasure.
|