The week before last on American Idol, Tommy Hilfiger was brought on to the show to provide fashion advice to the contestants. As usual, industry icon Jimmy Iovine, was there to offer musical wisdom.
Tommy did not approve of the wardrobe plans of contestant Philip Philips, turning his nose up at the gray outfit Philip had chosen. Philip wore it anyways.
Jimmy shook his head in disapproval during rehearsals, advising Philip to sing without his guitar. Philip chose to stick with his guitar.
So what happened?
Philip rocked the house in his gray outfit, banging away on his six string.
I smiled and cheered from the sofa – it’s not often that we trust ourselves in the face of opposing advice from recognized experts.
Perhaps we should do this more often?
The more common response is to simply follow what we’re told – to not think for ourselves. We couldn’t possibly make a better decision than the subject matter expert, or the CXO, right? At a minimum, we should listen and evaluate the advice critically, rather than just accepting it blindly.
Especially if you get fashion advice from a guy wearing red socks.