Most People Are Using "Most People" Wrong

Vizzini: Inconceivable!

Inigo Montoya: You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.

-- The Princess Bride

Go to your professional social network and casually search or browse, and you'd most likely find:

"Most robotics teams..." "Most marketing leaders..." "5 things most people get wrong..." "3 things most successful founders won't share..." "Most product teams believe..."

And now even inside actual ads: "Most [company] partners think..."

Here's what's happening. Someone has a thought. A process. A pitch. But instead of owning it, they wrap it in a consensus that doesn't exist. Suddenly, their solo take becomes a market trend. Their lone observation becomes collective wisdom.

It's not a lie, exactly. It's just safer. If most people believe it, you cant really be wrong. And if you're not wrong, you can't be rejected. And if you can't be rejected, you never had to be vulnerable in the first place.

Most people use "most people" to avoid sounding like most people.

Just own the thought. It was yours all along.