THE BILL OF BRYCE

In one of my last classes, I explained that marketing and product consumption often attempt to fill the gap between who we are and who we would like to be. A very interesting debate emerges: not only about how companies use marketing to create products and services, but also about how marketing influences our lives and our self-esteem.

I ask who has a bill on hand. Bryce, who sits in the front row, says he can lend me a $20 bill. I warn him that I will probably mistreat it. Bryce agrees. I take the bill and show it to the class. Then I say:

“Imagine that Bryce is this bill… and watch what happens.” I crumple it. I throw it on the floor. I step on it.
The students smile, intrigued. Then I pick it up and unfold it. It is no longer smooth and crisp as before. It is wrinkled and slightly dirty. And I say:

“Even though this bill, which represents Bryce, is wrinkled and stained, it has not lost its value.”

I look at Bryce and add:

“One day, Bryce, you will experience falls, failures, and difficulties. You may feel hurt physically or emotionally. Life, at times, will treat you harshly. But your value as a person will remain exactly the same.”
I return the bill to him, apologize for wrinkling it, and tell him to keep it. I ask him not to spend it, but to take it out of his wallet and look at it when his life goes through moments of darkness. I hand it back to him; this time, Bryce’s eyes are shining.

For a few minutes, everyone in the classroom is Bryce. And they understand something essential: self-esteem does not depend on consumption or on external factors. It does not depend on approval, success, or circumstances. Solid self-esteem is built on inner worth.

That, too, is business education. Business courses are not limited to teaching technical concepts; they shape leaders with values, judgment, and human depth. That is something you will never learn from AI or from mediocre professors. This is what we do at IAU and at ACM: we teach management and business, yes, but also purpose.

If you would like me to help your company or organization better understand management and efficiency — and to do so in a way that leaves a lasting impact — contact me and let’s talk.

I am what I teach.