What Story Are You Telling Yourself?

I had a conversation with my leadership partner last week, and she said

“I keep hearing you say you are a non-tech person in a role that is usually filled by someone technical. It sounds kinda like a flex.”

A flex?

I was floored.

Being a non-engineer working for tech companies for my entire career, I took on board the message that I was less than.

That marketing and communications were easy.

That anyone could do it.

Engineers often showed me how. 

The unspoken message?

The real rock stars were the engineers.

And sales.

We were overhead.

The truth is, communications and marketing are hard.

Really hard.

If that were not the case

all marketing would be like Apple’s.

All speeches would be like MLK.

Humans, and what influences them, are complicated.

There is not a “right” answer when trying to influence the way someone behaves.

There is no “on/off” switch.

It’s not 1s and 0s.

So when she said it sounded like a humble brag

it was 180 degrees from how I felt.

It was my excuse.

The reason why I so often feel like a fish out of water.

Maybe, she said, you are a purple unicorn.

Incredibly unique and rare.

And therefore all the more valuable in the environment you are in. 

Because not everyone can do what you do.

I think I’ll start telling myself this story. 

I like her version a lot better.

After all, if everything is really just a story we tell ourselves about our reality

why not make it one where we show up

like a rockstar?

Ps – thanks to AH whose wisdom has been the inspiration for the last two blogs.

When you’re ready:

1) I highly recommend the same 2-hour course ($150) I used to get started posting on LinkedIn (affiliate link): THE LINKEDIN OPERATING SYSTEM

2) Book a call and let’s chat about how I can help: https://graysonhaydencall.as.me/