Being Real > Being Right
Written by Nate Palin
None of us walk on water. Fortunately, imperfection can still be influential.
I don’t write blogs to be right. Most are 2 parts opinion and 1 part evidence, with 1/3 of that evidence coming from my experience and another 1/3 coming from the experience of those I’ve coached, led, or learned from. The final third of evidence (which comprises maybe 1/9 my total argument) comes from what I’ve learned reviewing research and other reputable literature over the years - often not even recent.
I gauge the value of what I share off of only one metric:
Will this information directly or indirectly benefit the warfighter?
If the answer is “yes,” then I write and release it confidently in good science..
If a single warfighter or professional who supports warfighters reaches out to share how the article influenced them to know better so they can do better, then the remaining metrics of web traffic and social media engagement become completely irrelevant. My soul is already flooded with joy and my mission is already fulfilled. I don’t need validation but I don’t mind it either.
Authenticity
“Authenticity is hard to explain but you know it when you encounter it and you know when it’s lacking”
Junk Mail…
Companies use digitally produced handwriting to impersonate a human sender, sometimes causing you to open up an envelope you think might be a note from your grandmother, only to find the sender is some window washing company soliciting you as a customer or a megachurch soliciting you as a member of their congregation.
Their attempt to portray something they are not - a real person writing a letter - leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I’m considerably more receptive to obvious advertisements that don’t hide their intentions because they are at least authentic (and don’t get me started on “Time Sensitive Information Regarding Your Mortgage - Open Immediately”).
When aiming to achieve the credibility needed to influence people, it’s more important to be authentic than it is to be sexy, especially if sexy isn’t who you are once your audience opens the envelope.
Vulnerability
I define vulnerability as Authenticity + Risk. Can you be unapologetically yourself when there’s something on the line? Particularly, when that “something” is your ego.
Dancing on the stage with the same enthusiasm with which you dance in the kitchen requires vulnerability but so does sharing your professional opinion with the world in written format, knowing all too well that, “The internet never forgets.”
My advice is to own what you are and admit what you’re not.
I give this same advice to people who are preparing for a job interview. Instead of toeing the party line and inauthentically fitting the organization’s mold, stay true to yourself and be unapologetically who you are. It’s better to determine a misalignment in values and personality prior to hiring than to get stuck jumping through flaming hoops in their circus when you rather be the ringmaster.
I once had a great friend suggest I include the “aspirational slogan” and other preferred verbiage in my cover letter for a strategic leadership position within the company where he worked. My response? I refused to include it and replied, “That’s the most corporate thing I’ve ever heard.” My internal dialogue wondered why an organization would seek a strategy lead who conveniently fits their mold when word on the street is that their current strategy is falling short.
Any Given Day is not a puppet (neither myself nor the generous guest authors who contribute to the cause). I am not here to pander to my peers or tactical human performance industry allstars by saying the things they want me to say; however, I don’t seek controversy for the sake of clicks and attention either.
I am here to serve the warfighter by providing value by way of information that helps him or her to shoot, move, and communicate more effectively.
This article, for example, exists to enhance your ability to influence others through your approach to engagement.
I realize the risk of sharing a limited perspective and I have accepted it. I encourage readers to take the Bruce Lee approach to what you consume - “Absorb what is useful. Reject what is useless. Add what is uniquely your own.”
Authority Influence
Authority
noun
the power or right to give orders, make decisions, and enforce obedience.
a person or organization having power or control in a particular, typically political or administrative, sphere.
Nobody is an authority on warfighter health and performance. Each warfighter, however, is THE authority on him or herself.
Those of us wanting to positively influence warfighters (from inside or outside their ranks) to enhance their ability to close with and destroy the enemy must first realize that we can influence but we cannot direct. Influence comes by way of relationships built on trust.
Instead of worrying whether or not the information you share is defensively backed by peer reviewed scientific literature, your version of the almighty, and some self identified supreme leader, ask yourself first whether or not you’ve earned an invitation to share it. Next, ask yourself if following your guidance is safe. From there, will following your guidance net a positive outcome?
If your advice is…
Welcomed
Safe
Effective
…then share it!
Otherwise, while you’re worrying about the defensibility of your content within a non authoritarian court of judgy professionals who are not your intended audience, some actual charlatan is capturing the warfighter’s attention and leading them down a less credible and potentially dangerous path.
Endex
Whether you’re a leader, a soldier, a coach, a therapist (of the physical or mental variety), a specialist (from finances to firearms), a military family member, a veteran, an innovator, or even a government contract service provider, you more than likely possess information and experience worth sharing because they provide net positive value to American and allied warfighters.
I encourage you to put your ego at risk and leverage any platform at your disposal to influence a most deserving audience. You don’t have to be perfect to be influential. You only have to unapologetically be who you already are.
AGD Communications
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