Acquisition Quote by Warren Buffett
“Of one thing be certain: if a CEO is enthused about a particularly foolish acquisition, both his internal staff and his outside advisors will come up with whatever projections are needed to justify his stance. Only in fairy tales are emperors told that they are naked.”
About This Quote
Source Speech: Annual Shareholder Letter, Berkshire Hathaway, 2008
When a CEO is overly enthusiastic about a poor acquisition, staff and advisors will fabricate supporting projections.
In simple terms: Leaders' bias can distort reality.
Key Takeaway
Question assumptions and demand evidence.
Themes
leadership
bias
decisionmaking
corporategovernance
accountability
Mood
cautious
critical
analytical
Type
advisory
warning
When to use this quote
- board meetings
- investment committees
- strategic planning
- risk assessment
Key Concepts
confirmation bias
groupthink
overconfidence
Questions to Reflect On
- How can you create checks against biased enthusiasm?
- What evidence would change your view?
A Different Perspective
Overreliance on optimism can blind to risks.
![“No one suffers so much as he [the genius] with the people, and, therefore, for the people, with whom he lives. For, in a certain sense, it is certainly only "by suffering" that a man knows. If compassion is not itself clear, abstractly conceivable or visibly symbolic knowledge, it is, at any rate…” quote by Otto Weininger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/bec/otto-weininger-11319_acquisition_no-one-suffers-so-much-as-he-the-genius_20597.jpg)
