There’s an inspiring, earworm-worthy lyric from a very obscure 1970 song that says, “You shouldn’t try to be what you can’t be.”
(I’ll reveal the song title and artist later. I promise.)
Think about it! There’s SO much truth in this line for individuals and businesses.
In other words, just be WHO YOU ARE! In other words, embrace your God-given gifts and talents, and use them to bless the lives of others.
Jobs Didn’t Try to Be Gates
Steve Jobs never tried to be Bill Gates, and vice-versa. All great leaders of highly successful enterprises (Walt Disney, Herb Kelleher, Elon Musk, Richard Branson, Howard Schultz, Sam Walton, etc.) are who they are, and their companies took/take on their persona (the good… and the bad).
Their visions permeate their organizations to inspire employees and customers to rally behind their “why.”
While it’s great to learn from these visionary leaders, as well as emulate their good traits, you ultimately have to develop and hone your own being, customized to the passions, beliefs and values ticking within you.
Be genuine. Be authentic. Be real. Do those things, and you’re most likely to be happy with your career and life.
The PR Application of this Advice
Ironically, PR often has bad PR. Many throw it around as a derisive, “don’t-get-any-on-you” term because it’s YUCKY.
When a company or a politician is in trouble, it’s not uncommon to hear a commentator say something like, “I wonder how they’re going to try to PR their way out of this.”
Ugh. I cringe every time I hear something like that.
Look, there are a few bad apples in every profession. But that means there are also lots of good apples.
(In sticking with the song-theme of this post, I can’t go on without quoting The Osmonds’ first hit song, “One bad apple don’t spoil the whole bunch, girl…”)
I’m doing my best to be a good PR apple. That’s why I unabashedly tell business owners I’m a spin-free PR purist (YES! It’s possible!). I state right up front I’m simply going to tell it like it is. I will tell the TRUTH about their product or service.
One of the best compliments I ever received from a reporter was when I was the PR manager for Penta Water in Carlsbad, CA in 2005. An editor of a beverage trade publication told me, “What I like about you is you just tell it like it is.”
Yes, I will always communicate who a company really is. And the same goes for their product or service. That’s why it’s vital to have a quality product/service that actually does what it promises to do and improves people’s lives.
But I’ll do so effectively by making sure their communications are more attention-getting, engaging and persuasive. Utilizing the power of storytelling often plays a key role in this.
That’s why I first make sure clients have genuine, authentic, real benefits to offer their stakeholders.
Truth in ALL Communications
Businesses should be committed to telling the truth about their company and their products and/or services. There’s no need to embellish. No need for spin. No need to sound better than they really are. And especially no need to make promises and set expectations that’ll likely never be realities.
Identify your personality or vibe, package it with your company’s “why,” and clearly communicate it to connect with like-minded stakeholders who are ready and waiting to become your followers/believers.
The Song Revealed
The lyric, “you shouldn’t try to be what you can’t be” comes from the song, “Waving My Arms in the Air” (at the 1:50 mark) by the late Syd Barrett. It’s found on his second — which is also his last — solo album, “Barrett,” released in 1970. This earworm plays regularly in my head as I strive to be who I am and not try to be something I can’t or shouldn’t be.
Barrett, as any hardcore Pink Floyd fan would know, was the founding member of this British band. Unfortunately, he only lasted one album (the psychedelic 1967 “The Piper at the Gates of Dawn”) with his mates when personal challenges forced him out of the group.
The 3 Big Takeaways
- Embrace who you are and BE YOU — in your personal and business life.
- Use your God-given gifts and talents to bless others.
- True happiness and business success is more likely to come from being your authentic self.
Are you as a business leader struggling defining who you are? Not sure what your company’s “why” is and how to communicate it with great clarity, impact and authenticity? Do your employees feel your leadership and company values are genuine?
If so, schedule a 1:1 chat and let’s find some solutions for you.
Be authentic! (And not who you shouldn’t be.)
Jeffery E. Pizzino, APR is a spin-free public relations pro who is passionate about telling the why of your story with clarity, impact and authenticity. He began his PR career in 1987 at Ketchum Public Relations in New York City but has spent the majority of his career as a solopreneur. He’s AuthenticityPR’s Chief Authentic Officer and also functions as the fractional CCO for technology startup Converus.
Jeff has an MBA in Management from Western International University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications — with an emphasis in PR — from Brigham Young University. He’s a native of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, but also holds an Italian citizenship. Jeff and his storyteller wife Leticia have four children and four grandchildren. In his extremely limited nonwork hours, he studies italiano, practices guitar, gardens, disc golfs, reads, listens to New Wave music, serves in his church, watches BYU football, and plays Dominion and Seven Wonders. Email Jeff.
