When I was in my last year of school and attending a bunch of recruiting events there was one CEO from a mid-sized consultancy who impressed us all by taking a call from his wife in the middle of his presentation in front of couple hundred students. He'd get the whole group to say hi to her and then said he'd phone her back, hang up, and continue with his presentation. Gave a good sense for the work/life balance.
Of course, we then heard that every term he gives that recruiting talk and every time his wife calls right in the middle...
I kind of became enamoured with his evil genius ways.
You have no reason to suppose he was being manipulative. You'll be happier thinking good things about people, instead of second-guessing everything they do.
No, but I rather believe he honestly feels such a thing should be possible and wished to demonstrate that such a thing was acceptable to him. The folks that didn't find out it was set up, may live happier lives because of that demonstration.
I understand and respect your disdain for premeditated deception, but as an observation I'd like to point out that as a person, you are ALWAYS manipulating whether or not you are aware of it.
I'm hopeless at manipulation, but I know people who are really good at it. And like any skill one develops, one has a certain admiration for people who are good at it.
Example: a friend was with his 10-year-old sister in a supermarket. He's in college. She wants junk food. He says, "No, we're having dinner soon." She starts screaming and pretending he's her father and doesn't ever give her or her mother any money. Everyone looks at him. He's like, OK, here's your junk food.
And it was a good decision to manipulate him like this, because he ended up loving her more for it.
Of course, we then heard that every term he gives that recruiting talk and every time his wife calls right in the middle...
I kind of became enamoured with his evil genius ways.