I saw an interview with Steve Nash recently in which someone asked him about his thoughts on being a great leader. I thought his answer was righteous, as he responded, "I would say the number one thing is to be authentic, and don't read how to be a great leader in a book."
I thought of three things. The first one was, "Yes! I agree," and the second was, "Heck yeah, someone finally said it," and the third was, "I wonder if people like 'Simon Sinek' see that and shake their head in disgust?" But do you know what the most interesting part about Steve's response was? The guy conducting the interview chuckled as if it were some inside joke all the "leaders" already knew.
Oh no, does this mean all the leadership training programs are pushing snake oil on us?
But this isn't about leadership or being a great leader; it's more about speaking your mind and being authentic. Sorry about the distraction.
Before you start a business, I would imagine you've (we've) built up some level of confidence that you can effectively solve a problem with your solution. Then, when you finally decide to go off on your own, you realize that you, in fact, need to start sharing your opinion about the problem you're solving. Some people might call this marketing, others, typically marketers, might begrudgingly refer to this as personal branding. At the same time, some may just see you doing it and think, "Wow, there's a guy with an objective opinion," which I would say is called thought leadership.
But watch what happens when you go off on your own, when you start sharing your opinions (or thoughts), and then what happens to your circle.
People will support you and shower you with congratulations until you start sharing an opinion on a topic they disagree with. You'll realize not how much smaller your circle has gotten, but how much stronger it is now, that the people who really didn't support you feel about you.
Of course, I'll remind you that this is, in fact, just another opinion and not gospel, but it's at the very least authentic. And no, I'm not reading this out of some book like a franchisee crossing off a task on the marketing checklist. I'm writing all of this because I want people to know, or at least be aware, that sometimes the man in the arena is alone, on an island, and cast away.
For those people who see me sharing my opinion on social media, writing articles, filming videos, and pouring everything that I am into my brand, unapologetically, know that I (and most likely people similar to me, WE) understand the sacrifices that accompany crossing the line.
So, before you judge someone's opinion because it's wild and outlandish, keep in mind that for some of us, being authentic and leading from experience rather than out of a textbook is more than most people can say for themselves. Even when nobody's listening, we do it anyway.
I believe that's referred to as conviction, feel free to look that up, and the next time you see a small business, or a solo-prenuer, quote on quote, "hustling," just remember this article you once read that was way tooooo long that told you to reconsider how you view those who are showing up online, building in public, and sharing bold opinions.
Maybe they're not seeking clout—maybe they're just living with conviction.
Thanks for hanging in there.
P.S.Please do me a favor and share this with everyone you know. I usually wouldn't say that, but this one's different.
