Strategic Authenticity.
Is there such a thing? Is it even possible to be both strategic in your goals, and authentic in your execution at the same time? Some people would say no. That to be authentic, you must let go all restraint and live a life completely unfettered by bourgeois considerations. To be truly authentic (for some) is to wallow in self. “I’m just telling you exactly what I feel at this exact moment in time.” That’s not authenticity. That’s therapy.
On the other hand, there are jaded operators for whom life is little more than a serious of chess moves in a a zero-sum game—that they are determined to win. Everything is a calculation, or sales opportunity. The only giving they do is in expectation of a much bigger get. Defined by an unhealthy cynicism and an ‘everybody lies/cheats/is in it for themselves’ worldview, such Darwinian survival of the fittestcists excuse the worst in human behavior as good if it helps secure some strategic Machiavellian outcome. I’ll be honest—I can stand either of those types of narcissistic manipulators.
There’s got to be a better way—and there is; A balanced form of having your strategic cake and living it authentically too. I call it strategic authenticity.
Strategic = having a plan.
Authenticity = executing your plan in a way that feels exactly right.
“I want to create a personal brand” is not a strategy. It is a tactic that can help you achieve strategic goals. So doesn’t it make more sense to focus on the goals first? Of course it does, and yet so many people don’t, or select goals that are little more than dreams. A dream is not a goal, but can help identify the hard goals necessary to achieve said dream. That make sense?
Let me put it another way. To say “I want climb Mt. Everest” is a goal, but not one you can achieve without creating an actionable strategy that can get you there. If you’ve never, ever climbed a mountain of any size, taking on the tallest in the world as your first is a losing strategy. But coming up with an overall plan that can take you from the first hike up your first mountain all the way to the summit of Mt. Everest requires a master strategy, and a smart list of tactical steps that are executed with excellence.
Don’t confuse vision with strategy. In most cases, vision is another, more business friendly word for dream. Having a vision is absolutely necessary when it comes to creating your personal brand, because it becomes the North Star upon which every decision you make should be oriented.
So what’s your vision? What do you want to be and do in life? What singular goal is going to allow you to organize all your efforts in one direction in order to achieve it? This question is paramount. And the way you answer it is foundational to the creation of your strategic authenticity.
Authenticity’s evil twin:
TMI. Too much information.
…and there’s much more to come.
BOOKWARD BOUND / Daily Build is just what it says: the writing I did today in order to get my book a little bit closer to its publication. It is presented here exactly as written and complete with all the misspellings and grammatical errors you’d expect of a rough draft. Don’t worry, it’ll be edited later. The above was written during a livestream video of BOOKWARD BOUND that you can find on my YouTube channel any time you’d like. -dp
@2020 DP Knudten LLC – all rights reserved.
