{"id":1145,"date":"2019-09-19T10:01:42","date_gmt":"2019-09-19T14:01:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=1145"},"modified":"2020-01-10T13:02:49","modified_gmt":"2020-01-10T17:02:49","slug":"pt-barnum","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/pt-barnum\/","title":{"rendered":"The 2 Most Powerful Lessons that P.T. Barnum Taught Us"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>We know P.T. Barnum as one of the most celebrated and controversial showmen of all time. But he wasn&#8217;t a success right away. What can his rise to power teach us about how to be successful in our own careers?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We&#8217;ll cover the 2 most important lessons from the life of P.T. Barnum and how you can apply them in your own career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Lesson #1: Protect Your Reputation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The young&nbsp; P.T. Barnum didn\u2019t have much of a reputation in 1841. To establish credentials as a showman, he decided to buy the American Museum in Manhattan and turn it into a collection of oddities that would make him famous. The museum\u2019s board agreed to sell it to P.T. Barnum, but then reneged on the deal, selling it instead to Peale\u2019s Museum, which had a strong reputation compared to P.T. Barnum\u2019s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Barnum decided that since he lacked a reputation his only recourse was to ruin Peale\u2019s reputation. He launched a derogatory letter-writing campaign calling Peale\u2019s finances into question, which caused the American Museum to again renege on a deal and to sell to P.T. Barnum.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Peale and Barnum then began attacking each other. Since Peale stressed its scientific exhibits in contrast to P.T. Barnum\u2019s low-brow entertainment, Barnum in turn, attacked Peale\u2019s popular hypnotism program by debunking hypnotism. He put a little girl into a bogus trance, which was so ludicrous that audiences didn\u2019t believe claims of hypnotism anymore and Peale\u2019s exhibit suffered. He bolstered his reputation for showmanship in the process, and Peale never recovered.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>P.T. Barnum used two different tactics to ruin Peale\u2019s reputation:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>He spread doubts about the museum\u2019s stability. Creating doubt by spreading rumors puts your opponents in a bind: They can deny them, but suspicions will linger, or they can ignore the rumors, which will gain momentum because they haven\u2019t been refuted.<\/li><li>Once Barnum had developed a reputation for himself, he ridiculed Peale\u2019s reputation through the fake hypnotism demonstration. Ridiculing an opponent hurts him and also creates attention for you, which boosts your reputation.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>When P.T. Barnum wanted to change his reputation for promoting low-brow entertainment, he arranged an American tour for a high-class European singer, Jenny Lind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What We Can Learn from P.T. Barnum<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>If you have an unflattering or negative reputation you can improve it by associating with someone of the opposite reputation<\/strong>. For instance, if you\u2019re dishonest, insinuate yourself with an honest or respected person, if possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Apply the Lesson<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Like<strong> <\/strong>P.T. Barnum, <strong>protect your reputation fiercely, anticipating and deflecting any attacks. <\/strong>However, don\u2019t be defensive when under attack because you\u2019ll look insecure and desperate.&nbsp;<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Attacking someone else\u2019s reputation can be beneficial<\/strong>, especially if you attack someone more powerful than you are. The more powerful person has more to lose in an exchange, and if your reputation is negligible you present only a small target.&nbsp;<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You have to be clever in how you go about it, however \u2014 you don\u2019t want to look petty or harm your own reputation in the process. But <strong>when you have a solid reputation you can subtly undermine your opponent\u2019s with ridicule or satire<\/strong>, the way a lion toys with a mouse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Lesson #2: Attract Attention<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>It doesn\u2019t matter whether your image or appearance is controversial \u2014 any kind of attention is good. P.T. Barnum welcomed attacks and didn\u2019t bother defending himself. He cultivated an image as a huckster.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>P.T. Barnum learned a lesson about the value of notoriety when his first boss, who operated a circus, had him wear a black suit and stroll through town before the performance. People mistook P.T. Barnum for an infamous reverend recently acquitted of murder and soon formed a mob around Barnum and started attacking him. To prove who he was Barnum finally convinced the mob to follow him to the circus. P.T. Barnum\u2019s boss revealed that he\u2019d set Barnum up, and the circus was packed that night, with everyone talking about the joke.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Over the years, P.T. Barnum used similar schemes, starting rumors about his performers being fraudulent to draw audiences to his events. He also understood how doing something unusual or interesting drew people\u2019s attention. To get people to visit his museum, he paid a man to walk up and down the streets and through the museum, randomly setting down and picking up bricks. People followed the man into the museum to see what he was doing.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>When trying to generate attention for the first time, welcome negative attention<\/strong>. P.T. Barnum wrote letters to newspapers attacking his own work to keep his name in the public eye. Attention, good or bad, was the secret of his success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What We Can Learn from P.T. Barnum<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>We judge everyone and everything by appearances; what we can\u2019t see doesn\u2019t count. Make sure you stand out from the crowd. Portray yourself as larger, more mysterious, and more exciting than anyone around you.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Apply the Lesson<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Like P.T. Barnum, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/48-laws-of-power-law-6-create-an-air-of-mystery\/\">attract attention<\/a> by being controversial and outrageous. Welcome scandal. Don\u2019t differentiate between positive and negative attention \u2014 it all enhances your power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Attracting attention doesn\u2019t come naturally to many people. You have to learn how to do it.&nbsp; <strong>Start by associating your name and reputation with something that makes you stand out from others.<\/strong> It could be a clothing style, hairstyle, mannerism, or quirk that gets you noticed and talked about.<br><br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Society relishes those who are larger than life like P.T. Barnum, people who stand out from the crowd. So don\u2019t hesitate to adopt qualities that draw attention. <strong>It\u2019s better to be controversial and be attacked than ignored.<\/strong> No matter what your profession is, you\u2019ll benefit from being a showman.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019re stuck in a position with little visibility, you can <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/grab-attention\/\">get attention<\/a> by attacking someone more famous or powerful than you. Once you\u2019ve grabbed the spotlight, you have to keep changing your methods or people will take you for granted and stop <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-pay-attention\/\">paying attention<\/a> to you, or be distracted by someone new.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We know P.T. Barnum as one of the most celebrated and controversial showmen of all time. But he wasn&#8217;t a success right away. What can his rise to power teach us about how to be successful in our own careers? We&#8217;ll cover the 2 most important lessons from the life of P.T. Barnum and how you can apply them in your own career.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":1024,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[29,33],"tags":[38],"class_list":["post-1145","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-career","category-people","tag-48-laws-of-power","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v24.3 (Yoast SEO v24.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>The 2 Most Powerful Lessons that P.T. Barnum Taught Us - Shortform Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"We know P.T. Barnum as one of the most celebrated showmen of all time. 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Learn how to apply his strategies to be successful in your career.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/pt-barnum\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Shortform Books\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-09-19T14:01:42+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2020-01-10T17:02:49+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/48-laws-pt-barnum.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"432\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"687\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Amanda Penn\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Amanda Penn\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/pt-barnum\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/pt-barnum\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Amanda Penn\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/01b0e4c9ddb993e51d03808839d538b0\"},\"headline\":\"The 2 Most Powerful Lessons that P.T. 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