I don\u2019t do politics, but Israel-Gaza opens up an entrepreneurial opportunity that is worth exploring and considering.<\/p>\n
WYSIWYG translates to what you see is what you get.\u00a0 It is a software program created at Xerox PARC in 1974.\u00a0 Welcome to point and click.<\/p>\n
In behavior, it expresses itself as \u201cI am who I am, I\u2019m Popeye the sailor man.\u201d\u00a0 It is often associated with authenticity.\u00a0 If you don\u2019t like it, go suck a lemon.\u00a0 Leadership style can vary, but at its core, the basics of that model are immutable.<\/p>\n
Within that consistency, relationships can form.\u00a0 Getting to know someone really matters.\u00a0 It is the lubrication that allows for deals.\u00a0 It makes it easier to quickly understand the parameters of any deal.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
It is what allowed President Trump to bring everyone to the table and craft a peace deal.\u00a0 Whether you like him or not, he built relationships, and his WYSIWYG style allowed all the players to trust enough to sign on. So far.<\/p>\n
However, leading a technology startup is not the same as international politics.\u00a0 Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, organizational psychologist, has written a book, \u201cDon\u2019t Be Yourself: Why Authenticity is Overrated.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Many leadership seminars tell us to trust ourselves, follow our heart and be true to our values.\u00a0 He says that kind of authentic behavior supports improved personal self-esteem, a positive mood, and a higher personal opinion of well-being.\u00a0 In other words, just let it fly and if you don\u2019t like it pal, too bad, take a hike \u2013 I am just being me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Authenticity.\u00a0 We follow our own star, we do what we want, we say what we think, unfiltered, and we feel good about ourselves.\u00a0 But true corporate leadership is not about you, it is about everyone else.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chamorro-Premuzic says, \u201cFeeling that you are being authentic does not equate to being perceived as talented or competent by others.\u201d\u00a0 What is required is \u201cimpression management.\u201d\u00a0 That is a fancy sociological phrase that translates simply to the need to understand how others perceive you.\u00a0 Buy a mirror.<\/p>\n
To be successful at this founder\/leadership game, you need to learn to project and manage a theatrical performance to your employees and investors.\u00a0 Perception trumps reality.\u00a0 Even if your personal authenticity feels great, you will be a more effective leader if you learn to meld your behavior to the situation and develop the chameleon in you.<\/p>\n
This does not mean if you have to give up on your core values, rather it means you have to learn to modulate or even censor your \u201cwhole authentic self.\u201d\u00a0 Surprise, it is not only about you.<\/p>\n
When you understand impression management, you are not being a fake, rather you are listening carefully to the situation and the needs of the moment. The tension is between \u201csubjective authenticity\u201d (take it or leave it) and \u201creputational reality\u201d which presents you as diplomatic, understanding and mature.\u00a0 The paradox is between feeling good about yourself and being valued by others.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cConsistency is the hobgoblin of small minds,\u201d Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote.\u00a0 Leaders need to be willing to tack in a completely new direction when the wind shifts.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
My little AI company is plagued at the moment with too many nice guys and too little working software.\u00a0 It is time for drama. Our co-CEO is about to go full ballistic.\u00a0 That is not his true \/ authentic nature.\u00a0 But in this situation, he is an actor on a stage.\u00a0 The moment demands a rage-against-the-machine performance, complete with fireworks and exploding laptops.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
He is not a raw, unfiltered maniac.\u00a0 Quite the opposite.\u00a0 But a good leader balances between authenticity, diplomacy and appropriate fury.\u00a0 Chamorro-Premuzic says, \u201cSkilled self-awareness and sensitivity to how others see you will enable you to seem genuine, rather than fake.\u201d\u00a0 Your relationship to the team ebbs and flows all the time.\u00a0 It is a dance.\u00a0 Listen to the music.\u00a0 Time to tango.<\/p>\n
At the margin, this discussion is a bit orthogonal.\u00a0 By learning to modulate your personal WYSIWYG, you begin to develop even more authentic instincts that are appropriate to various situations.\u00a0 Your chameleon skills allow you to integrate a more effective situational behavior, and in this way, your true self becomes closer to the reputational reality you desire. So what they see is what you want.<\/p>\n
This is why psychoanalysts still have a place in the startup world.<\/p>\n
Rule No. 804:\u00a0 Mirror mirror on the wall.<\/p>\n