Postulating The Prolific Posturing
Posers and hosers and losers, oh my!
Why do we posture so much online?
You can't throw a dead cat without hitting a corporate/personal mission statement throwing up about "transparency" and "authenticity" and "open door" and "open book,"...
Then you read the bios here on LinkedIn:
—"Empowering"
—"Innovative & Transformative Leader"
—Expert Team Builder"
—"Retired" (ummm...okay? Interesting flex.)
—"Executive Strategy Leader Focused on Leading High-Performing Teams to Drive Profitable Outcomes"
—"Delivering advanced technologies to customers"
Here's the deal with marketing slogans/taglines: if I can swipe it and stick it onto your competitor's website or LinkedIn profile and it's true, then it's a crappy tagline.
What is "Delivering advanced technologies to customers"?
He sells iPhones to teens?
He sells pagers to toddlers?
He sells power tools to Amish woodworkers?
What's "advanced" and what's "technologies"?
Then there's "Innovative & Transformative Leader"?
Who wants "uncreative" and "ordinary"?
It's like when people ask me for references, I ask reply, "Do you want the good ones?"
They pause, tilt their heads, then nod slowly, and knowingly chuckle.
(I'm not gonna give 'em a BAD reference!! "Wes? Ah, that dude SUCKS!! He always drank the last cup of coffee...he ate my lunch in the company fridge every day...he would never update the CRM...and I think he took about 100 sticky notes from the supply room for personal use. I wouldn't hire that guy!")
Anyway, I'm almost late for my HOA meeting. Yes, I'm on my fourth year as HOA president, so you're reading the wisdom of royalty right now, so be thankful and attentive and appreciative, okay?
Okay.
Oh, and be a little more creative.
But be careful with being creative.
It's better to be clear and concise than creative, especially if you're not in a creative role.
In other words, actually be real and transparent and authentic, okay?
Glad we had this talk.
Market like you mean it.
Now go sell something.