“Be a philosopher, but amidst all your philosophy, be still a man.”
Those words, spoken by the Scottish philosopher David Hume in the 17th Century, provide surprisingly relevant wisdom in the present day landscape of social media.
What you do is not who you are. Lack of character breeds inauthenticity.
Years back, I commissioned my friend Kennon Young, Master Gemologist, to create a custom engagement ring. I wanted something small, that wouldn’t over power her tiny hands, but with a brilliant shine. Not knowing anything about gemology, I shared what I liked about a few different rings and waited for him to return with a sketch.
Kennon had explained that it’s not the size, or carat, of the diamond that creates its radiance, but rather the cut, color, and clarity — none of which matters without light.
The ring Kennon crafted displayed his artful mastery of light. Capturing it from every angle, the ring’s design channeled light through the diamond into a blinding dazzle.
The modern round brilliant diamond consists of 58 facets. While the top most facet, called the ‘face’, is what most see — the shine comes from the light that’s captured by the other 57 sides. Even the most dazzling gems cannot shine in the dark.
It’s unfortunate to see people building personal brands and make the fatal mistake of hiding their facets. They position themselves as experts by confining themselves to a particular topic and in essence hide their humanity — they sacrifice their authenticity.
With only the face of a diamond exposed, light will go in and never shine out.
The most successful brands are those often indistinguishable from a vibrant personality and the same is true with corporations like Slack, Airbnb, and Evernote.
This morning my ‘brother from another mother’ Dave, responsible for introducing me to my ring swinging friend Aaron, joined us on the beach for his inaugural session.
What struck me, as I watched Aaron give Dave the same enthusiastic coaching he delivered to me weeks back, was the development of a unique bond. While we’ve come to know each other over months of parties, dinners, and various social events — today developed a different level of connection. We had come into Aaron’s world and entrusted him as our guide. The new dynamic created a new connection.
As Dave completed his first trip through the rings he commented to Aaron, “now I know why your chest is so damn huge.” While we had heard him talk about the rings on the beach countless times, it wasn’t until we joined in that we truly understood that part of Aaron. This same connection is fostered when brands share their facets.
If you don’t expose your facets, no one will be able to see your light.
I am an internet marketer, but I am not only an internet marketer. I love dogs, attend music festivals, explore foreign lands, and get smashed by the waves as I attempt to surf. I was once a wedding photographer, worked at a car dealership, and went to college for graphic design. The only way to encapsulate me is to say I am human.
We all have an immense, and often untapped, wealth of facets to our humanity that are deemed to be “inappropriate” to discuss in a professional context — the opposite is true. The more we develop our personality and that of our brands, the more we develop a platform for those listening to relate and connect.
If still alive today, I imagine Hume would tell me, “be a marketer, but amidst all your marketing, be still a man” and that’s exactly what I plan to do.
When was the last time you exposed your personality in a professional setting?