On experts, visionaries versus frauds and personal branding
Last week I was talking about resilience and how negative thoughts hold us back. This week, I want to tackle the self-help industry and fauxperts (yes, I just made that word up). I'm talking about people who call themselves experts but aren't, really. And what do you do if you are? My friend Jordan mentioned this to me and it ties in with some thinking I've been doing around the cult of personality and visionaries vs. frauds. It's a lot, and I know I’m just skimming the surface in what I'm covering today. The goal here is to provoke your critical thinking skills. Look for more on these topics in the future.
When experts can be only skin deep.
For so many years I've been drawn to the latest shiny book. I can be a sucker for a catchy title just as I am for a well-designed wine label. Maybe that's why I enjoy marketing so much. But I've also raised the bar on what I'm willing to read and finding myself not always feeling that much better off after reading a book. The self-help industry has blossomed because we are looking for an ever quicker fix in a sound bite world. We're lazy and so we turn to the self-help trend of the moment.
When it comes to self help for your mental well being, there are no magic elixirs or quick fixes. It's about doing the work on yourself. Again and again. Or working with a qualified mental health professional who will guide you through doing the work for a long time. Emotional trauma doesn't just magically go away.
There are so many more books I want to read than I'll be able to and thus important to curate what goes in my head. Just as it's important to curate what goes in your body. So what is it about the self-help books and the self-help industry? They are not all bad but the key in making the advice work, is YOU have to do the work. YOU have to have an open mind. It comes down to YOU.
If you've spent anytime in the marketing world, I bet you've received numerous ads in Instagram or Facebook talking about how you can build a business with no money, no product and no time. Or how you can make gazillions with no list whatsoever. Just buy their secret formula and you're off to the races. Riches will follow! These are alluring promises especially if you need to make money quickly. But like most DIY home projects, it's never that simple. Or that fast. In fact if you read the fine print showing up on some of these websites you'll see that the information is presented for "entertainment purposes" and that you may not make any money whatsoever.
Many people peddling books and courses with their 'secret formula' are making money off of selling you their 'secret formula' more than they have applying that formula. Most 'formulas' for life are not secret. It's just that you or I haven't connected the dots. We haven't been curious enough. Just to be clear, not all shiny self help books are bad. Some offer a needed burst of inspiration. Some are really dang good. So how do you identify the qualified experts from the fauxperts? It's a bit easier today and I'll reveal my secret formula. For FREE! 😃
- Do some sleuthing - fact check their claims. Be curious about what they're promising. Truth in advertising anyone?
- How long have they been an expert? Overnight? Or for many years? While it may not always take 10,000 hours to achieve mastery as Malcolm Gladwell wrote in his book Outliers which tapped Anders Ericcson's research, it takes time and some hard work.
- Is the 'expert' term used for marketing front and center? Or do they lead with what they're expert in? Are they selling you on the fact they're an expert? Or are you drawn in because what they say actually has some substance? Are they known for their expertise in claimed area?
- Never succumb to time pressure. Yes, there are deals. And sales. But making a big self-development investment isn't to be taken lightly. If there's substance to the offering, you shouldn't be pressured too much to act on the spot. To be clear, marketers understand human nature and our penchant for a good deal and so there are genuine early bird offers but they are rarely immediate.
- Find your tribe. Who inspires you? Who's a good human? Who cares about you more than making a quick sale? Granted, there are tire kickers that will suck your time and never buy. It's a two-way street.
- Does anyone YOU respect and follow connect with this expert? Why or why not?
For the mathematicians: QE = (FC x LE - EM x TP / FYT x YRF)
The ability to develop your portfolio of work and achieve your life goals requires a group of people you can trust. Some of those are your friends and colleagues. Others are the people who's work you follow and respect.
Here are six people I follow who I think are quite good at what they do. Experts even.
- On content and writing: Ann Handley
- On fashion trends: The Sartorialist
- On management: Henry Mintzburg
- On marketing: Seth Godin
- On relationships: Esther Perel
- On thinking: Daniel Kahneman
How can visionaries and frauds be alike?
Along the same lines as wannabe experts is how similar visionaries and frauds can be. Both well-known visionaries and well-known frauds have cultivated strong personal brands and circles of influence. They both articulate strong visions that give people a reason to believe in them. They make bold promises. And they all lie or adjust the truth to support their vision. Sometimes that's needed when a vision is so far out there it's hard to believe. Like Elon Musk and Space-X. Or even when he was starting Tesla. The big difference is that visionaries seek to change the world. Maybe they fail, but it's not for lack of trying to succeed.
Frauds focus on the art of deception. Look closely and you can poke holes in their stories. Wait long enough and their deceptions fall apart. Two major ones the come to mind are Elizabeth Holmes and Bernie Madoff. Or Enron, who was the industry darling until they weren't? You might say there's a fine line between being a visionary and a fraud.
Being visionary is hard. It's lonely. It requires so much sacrifice. Just look at Elon Musk and his famous lack of sleep. His constant drive. We need them. I have been intrigued by the philosophy of working on boring problems at an iterative level. For there's much opportunity available at improving things just 10%. And you don't have to sacrifice as much of your life. You can still have a life. Success and having a work portfolio doesn't require you to work yourself ragged. Rather, it requires you finding things that align with your capabilities and lifestyle. The more they do that, the less it seems like work.
Many years ago I found myself at PhotoExpo in San Francisco taking a free photography workshop. The leader called his session "Making something out of nothing." He shared several examples of how he transformed the mundane into something interesting and beautiful. That always stuck with me. It's much harder to create an interesting image from something that is already stunning. I think that can apply to business because you can go where the many don't. Simply because it's not sexy. Boring can be lucrative if you reframe your perspective.
Building your personal brand.
What if you are an expert? Or want to become known? Or if you want to grow in your career? It used to be that college degree set yourself apart. The relationships you build and keep are important. You become who you spend the most time with.
I beleive the notion of personal branding began with Tom Peters in Fast Company in the 90s when they came out with the "Brand Called You" https://www.fastcompany.com/28905/brand-called-you. I thought that was interesting but parked it. Yet the concept has not only stood the test of time but has become even more important today. Essential almost. That doesn't mean you have to be everywhere or appeal to everyone. Just to enough people. Kevin Kelly talks about your 1,000 true fans. Those that will buy everything you create. Building a personal brand isn't only what's on the surface. That's the varnish you need to package it altogether. A sustainable personal brand is about your values, your work and showing up as you. As the person you want to be known as doing the thing - or things - you want people to recognize you for. It's that simple. And that hard.